The Tuition at These Top Canadian Private Schools Will Blow Your Mind

Regardless of their teaching philosophies – from rigorous academics to outdoor education – these Canadian private schools put the E in Elite. Their basic tuition fees may make your jaw drop (nevermind the families with more than one child in attendance) but they’re really just the beginning. Other costs – from “personal service fees” to “wireless internet costs” add up, making a degree from Harvard seem downright affordable in comparison.

ReliableCoaster/Wikimedia Commons

1 / 17

Ridley College

Name: Ridley College

Where: St. Catharines, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $16,500–$65,700

Grades: JK to 12

Number of students: 700+

Claim to fame: Ridley was founded in 1889 and has students from more than 45 countries.

Getty Images

2 / 17

SMUS (St. Michael’s University School)

Name: St. Michael’s University School

Where: Victoria, B.C.

Yearly tuition: $18,500–$38,590

Grades: K to 12

Number of students: 995

Claim to fame: Founded in 1906, SMUS counts politicians, writers, entertainers and sports stars like NBA great Steve Nash among its alumni.

Getty Images

3 / 17

Montcrest School

Name: Montcrest School

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $19,975–$39,300

Grades: JK to 8

Number of students: 300

Claim to fame: Montcrest School was founded in 1961 with only seven students. You can opt for the small class program, which ensures a small teacher to student ratio and individual attention.

ElizabethWolfe/Wikimedia Commons

4 / 17

Brentwood College School

Name: Brentwood College School

Where: Mill Bay, B.C.

Yearly tuition: $22,000–$69,600

Grades: 9 to 12

Number of students: 515

Claim to fame: Since its founding in 1923, Brentwood College School has produced 24 Olympians, 21 of whom participated in rowing events. The school hosts an annual regatta too.

Iota 9/Wikimedia Commons

5 / 17

Saints (St. George’s School)

Name: St. George’s School

Where: Vancouver, B.C.

Yearly tuition: $22,450–$68,085

Grades: 1 to 12

Number of students: 1,150

Claim to fame: Hong Kong billionaire Peter Lam, Korean rapper Tablo, Paralympic swimmer Donovan Tildesley and Bedouin Soundclash frontman Jay Manilowski are some of the school’s diverse alumni.

The York School/Wikimedia Commons

6 / 17

TYS (The York School)

Name: The York School

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $24,100–$31,100

Grades: JK to 12

Number of students: 600+

Claim to fame: Founded in 1965 as a nursery school, TYS was the first school in Canada to offer all three levels of the International Baccalaureate Program.

CommunicationsTCS/Wikimedia Commons

7 / 17

TCS (Trinity College School)

Name: Trinity College School

Where: Port Hope, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $24,750–$65,250

Grades: 5 to 12

Number of students: 578

Claim to fame: TCS was founded in 1865 and its alumni include inventor and radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden and Life of Pi author Yann Martel.

SimonP/Wikimedia Commons

8 / 17

Branksome Hall

Name: Branksome Hall

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $31,915–$34,915

Grades: JK to 12

Number of students: 900

Claim to fame: Founded in 1903, Branksome Hall has produced politicians, journalists and entrepreneurs such as twin sisters Jennifer and Fiona Lees, founders of Balmshell Cosmetics. The all-girls’ school has a sister campus in South Korea.

SimonP/Wikimedia Commons

9 / 17

BSS (Bishop Strachan School)

Name: Bishop Strachan School

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $32,060–$60,730

Grades: JK to 12

Number of students: 900

Claim to fame: BSS was founded in 1867 with the intention of educating girls to be leaders. Among the leading women who studied here was women’s rights activist Emily Murphy, the first female magistrate in the British Empire.

SimonP/Wikimedia Commons

10 / 17

Havergal College

Name: Havergal College

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $32,750–$59,875

Grades: JK to 12

Number of students: 900+

Claim to fame: Founded in 1894, Havergal is considered one of Toronto’s top schools. Lois Lane – or rather, actress Margot Kidder – studied here, as did Rachel Blanchard and a host of pioneering women in politics, the arts and sports.

Getty Images

11 / 17

LCS (Lakefield College School)

Name: Lakefield College School

Where: Lakefield, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $32,800–$65,400

Grades: 9 to 12

Number of students: 365

Claim to fame: Founded in 1879, LCS counts royalty among its alumni: Prince Andrew was an exchange student and King Felipe VI of Spain went to high school here. Will Arnett also spent a semester here but due to his troublemaking ways he was asked not to return.

Coyote ccl/Wikimedia Commons

12 / 17

Crescent School

Name: Crescent School

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $33,250

Grades: 3 to 12

Number of students: 740

Claim to fame: One of Canada’s leading boys’ schools, Crescent School was founded in 1913.

SimonP/Wikimedia Commons

13 / 17

RSGC (Royal St. George’s College)

Name: Royal St. George’s College

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $33,600

Grades: 3 to 12

Number of students: 425

Claim to fame: RSGC was founded in 1961 as an Anglican choir school for boys and is the only pre-university school in the country allowed to use “Royal” in its name.

SimonP/Wikimedia Commons

14 / 17

Greenwood College School

Name: Greenwood College School

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $35,600

Grades: 7 to 12

Number of students: 450+

Claim to fame: Only founded in 2002, Greenwood has already produced alumni such as hockey player Tom Wilson and Olympian sailor Tom Ramshaw.

Miesianiacal/Wikimedia Commons

15 / 17

UCC (Upper Canada College)

Name: Upper Canada College

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $32,650–$64,205

Grades: SK to 12

Number of students: 1,100+

Claim to fame: Founded in 1829, UCC is Canada’s third oldest independent school. Included in the boys’ school’s long list of notable alumni are premiers, mayors, parliamentarians, business leaders and The Mummy actor Brendan Fraser.

Getty Images

16 / 17

SAC (St. Andrew’s College)

Name: St. Andrew’s College

Where: Aurora, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $35,680–$66,375

Grades: 5 to 12

Number of students: 613

Claim to fame: Since its founding in 1899, SAC has produced an impressive number of Old Boys who can write OC or CC after their names. Probably the school’s most famous former student, however, is Kiefer Sutherland.

Ansgar Walk/Wikimedia Commons

17 / 17

Appleby College

Name: Appleby College

Where: Oakville, Ontario

Yearly tuition: $36,510–$72,875

Grades: 7 to 12

Number of students: 750

Claim to fame: Founded in 1911 and located on the shores of Lake Ontario, Appleby College was the first high school to be named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. It’s also the only Canadian school to be a member of the G20 Schools.