What? Boarding School in Canada?
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 It may seem odd that with so many quality boarding schools in the USA that any American high school student would look north of the border to enhance their education.  What could possibly motivate young Americans to venture to Canada for high school?  Well, the many brave souls who have begun this voyage of discovery have quickly realized the merits of such an option.  Consider some of these points that our current American families know, and prospective families might want to consider, about a Canadian boarding education:

  • You are not alone. There are many Americans in Canadian boarding schools (for instance, nearly 10% of the entire boarding population at my school, Brentwood College School, are from the USA!).
  • Rolling Admissions.  For the most part, there are no specific application deadlines in Canada.  You can pretty much visit any school at any time of the year and, if you are a good candidate and there are still spaces available, you could be offered a place without waiting until March or April.  Most schools will even allow you to wait until you find out if you are accepted to some American schools in the spring to make a decision.  It does take the pressure off families that simply want to know if they are accepted.
  • No SAT?  Americans may also be interested in knowing that increasingly US colleges and universities waive the SAT exam for international students (this applies to Americans studying in Canada as they are deemed ‘international’).
  • Away from the ‘madness’. ...
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School Mottoes

School Mottoes
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Private school mottoes speak to the high-minded purposes for which most schools were founded. School mottoes typically are Latin phrases attributed to some of the great writers of antiquity. You will also find mottoes which are taken from scripture.  What's special about a school motto is that it captures the essence of the school in a brief phrase of just a few words. Here are some school mottoes and a bit about the schools to which they belong.

Phillips' Academy
Andover's seal and motto were originally engraved by Paul Revere. Non sibi and Finis andorigine pendet are the two Latin phrases which come ancient Latin writers Lucan and Marcus Manlius. Non sibi translates as "Not for self" while Finis origine pendet means "The end is the beginning".Solid foundations determine how your life turns out and the idea of service to the wider world are the themes in Andover's historic motto.

Exeter
Being the other school started by the Phillips Family Exeter shares Non sibi and Finis origine pendet with its sister school, Andover. There are several other mottos to be found at this famous old boarding school. The two which for me encapsulate the way Exeter has moved with the times are: "HUC VENITE PUERI UT VIRI SITIS" and "HIC QUAERITE PUERI PUELLAEQUE VIRTUTEM ET SCIENTIAM" These Latin phrases enscribed on...
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How Private Schools Evolved in the United States

How Private Schools Evolved in the United States
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In the infancy of the United States of America, schooling for young people, such as it was, was provided by small, private schools, not public schools. Education in colonial days was quite stratified. Boys learned core subjects such as reading and math. Girls learned the domestic arts. Only white children received an education until slavery was abolished. Very often teachers were well-intentioned men who themselves did not had much formal education. Yes, back then, most teachers were men.

The first private schools were established by the religious missionaries of the Roman Catholic Church in Florida and Louisiana. By all accounts education in the northeastern colonies was better organized in the 18th century than its counterpart in the southern states. Schools such as Boston Latin School were founded in order to teach the Classical
Languages of Latin and Greek. In Manhattan Collegiate School "was established by the Dutch West India Company and the Classis of Amsterdam, the parent ecclesiastical body of the Dutch Reformed Church for the colonists of New Amsterdam." In Washington, DC, Georgetown Preparatory School was "founded in 1789 by America's first Catholic bishop,
Prep is the nation's oldest Jesuit school and the only Jesuit boarding school." In the early part of the 18th century English grammar schools taught more subjects as the need for a more educated populace grew. The latter part of the 18th century saw the development of the genre known as the Academy. Visionaries such as William Penn guided the educational thinking of the time.

In the...
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Boarding Schools in a Minute

Boarding Schools in a Minute
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Boarding Schools in a Minute gives an overview of independent residential schools in North America. 95% of these boarding schools are high schools serving grades 9 through 12 with many schools offering a Post-Graduate Year or Grade 13. A handful of junior boarding schools serve grades 6-9.

In 2012 there were approximately 450 boarding schools. Tuition at these schools ranges from free to well over $50,000 per year.

Why Boarding School? offers a rationale for sending your child away to a residential school as opposed to living at home and attending a local day school. Boarding School Pictures allows you to experience schools through photos of schools. Boarding schools have their own jargon too.

Boarding schools come in several different sizes and flavors. Types of Boarding School explores your options. What Is Being Taught? examines curriculum and other academic issues.

Still have questions? Wondering if it's worth it? 10 Top Reasons to Go to Boarding School along with 5 Things You Didn't Know About Boarding Schools should help address your concerns. And be sure to read Shari Bunks Geller's article Parent Perspective: Words of  Wisdom for the Reluctant Parent.

Any independent school is A Partnership of Three. That's really what makes the independent school experience so special. The boarding school experience adds another dimension to the experience because it is a total experience involving your child 24/7 for...
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5 More Schools and Their Founders

5 More Schools and Their Founders
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It is fascinating to delve into the beginnings of a private school. It's the time when the  school is so malleable and so strongly influenced by its founder's zeal and lofty goals. The community is tiny compared to what it will morph into over the years, indeed over the centuries, in some cases. The hardships and sacrifices which are endured are almost unimaginable in this day and age. when new schools seem to pop out of a delivery box fully funded and all set to go.

I hope that you will explore these five schools against the backdrop which I have set out above. They are unique as private schools always are. They have great personalities, character and rich histories. Yet they share a common theme and purpose: to provide the very best well-rounded education for their students so that their graduates can make a difference
in the world today.

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Annie Wright School, Tacoma, Washington
Founded in 1881
Number of students: 436
Grades PK-12: Boys and girls day school PK-8. Girls boarding and day: 9-12
Religious Affiliation: Nonsectarian
Setting: Urban

Overview: The school was established by an Episcopal bishop. James Paddock with the financial support of businessman Charles Wright. Bishop Paddock named the school in honor of Wright's daughter Annie. The school was a girls' school until the earthquake of 1949 damaged Lowell School, the local boys' school. AWS set up temporary quarters for boys. The
coeducational program expanded to 8th grade in the 1970s.

AWS offers challenging academics as evidenced by the implementation of the International Baccalaureate...
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  • More articles: Why Boarding School, Choosing a School, Admissions, School Life, Financing
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    Why Boarding School:

    About Boarding Schools

    • Boarding School Myths Boarding School Myths
      Read about common boarding school myths in case your perception of boarding school is driven largely by popular movies and urban legend.
    • Boarding Schools in a Minute Boarding Schools in a Minute
      Boarding Schools in a Minute gives an overview of independent residential schools in North America.
    • Why Boarding School? Why Boarding School?
      Is boarding school right for you? Boarding schools offer a wealth of experiences in both learning and living which will do you well in later life.
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    Background and historical data.

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