Read more details about Ridley College on their 2026 profile page.
Reflections and Advice:
1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative to other boarding schools?
Ridley is in St. Catharines, Ontario. About an hour from Toronto. Campus is huge. Ninety acres right near Lake Ontario. I was there for a good four years.
What makes it different is the house system. You get dropped into a house on day one and that's your crew. Competing against other houses in sports, spirit events, everything. It sounds cheesy until you're actually in it. Then you realize it works. You got older guys looking out for you. You are also looking out for younger guys later. Instant community.
Also, Ridley is old. Founded 1889. But the facilities don't feel old. NHL-sized arena. New fitness centre. Squash courts. They invest in stuff.
2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school?
Leading DECA to internationals. Watching younger members nail their presentations after months of practice. That felt good.
I'm proud of the cadet thing too. Being company commander at eighteen is ridiculous when you think about it. In charge of parades, drills, a bunch of other cadets. I had no idea what I was doing at first. Figured it out.
I grew up a lot. Had to. Nobody was managing my schedule. I had to balance hockey, DECA, cadets, IB classes. That's a lot. Some weeks I was exhausted. But I learned how to prioritize. How to say no to things. How to lead without being a jerk.
That's what Ridley gave me. Not just knowledge. The ability to handle a lot at once.
3.) What might you have done differently during your boarding school experience?
I would've talked to my teachers more. Not about grades. About their careers. Some of them had interesting backgrounds. I was too busy to ask.
Advice for someone considering Ridley is lean into the house system. It feels weird at first. Just do it. Go to the house events. Cheer at the competitions. That's how you make friends fast.
Also, take the business courses if you're interested. They're practical. Not just theory.
And bring warm clothes. St. Catharines gets cold. Lake effect snow is real.
4.) What did you like most about your school?
I liked the the balance. Ridley pushed you academically but also gave you space to lead. DECA, hockey, cadets, peer tutoring. I got to do all of it. The school didn't make me choose.
Now I'm at Carnegie Mellon studying business. That path started at Ridley. The case competitions, the leadership roles, the IB diploma. All of it prepared me.
5.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students to your school?
Check out the Tiger Arena during a hockey game. Good energy.
The fitness centre early morning when it's empty. Best time to lift.
Downtown St. Catharines has a bagel shop. Forgot the name. It's good.
Don't overpack for boarding. You really don't need that much stuff.
And say yes to house stuff. Even the dumb events. That's where the memories come from.
Academics:
1.) Describe the academics at your school - what did you like most about it?
Ridley does IB. Full continuum from elementary through diploma. I did the full IB diploma. That was not easy. Workload was serious no doubt. But the teachers knew what they were doing. Small classes. Eight to one student teacher ratio.
What I liked most was the business and economics courses. They used real scenarios. Not just textbook theory. We'd look at actual companies, actual problems, build actual solutions. That's why I'm at Carnegie Mellon for BBA now. Those classes showed me what I wanted to do.
The Mitchell Learning Commons was where I lived junior year. New library space. Good for grinding through assignments.
Athletics:
1.) Describe the athletics at your school - what did you like most about it?
Hockey was the main sport. First Boys captain my last two years. We practiced at the Tiger Arena. NHL sized ice. Good facility. The team was competitive. Some guys went on to play junior or university hockey.
Before that I played other sports too. Ridley makes everyone participate. At first I thought that was annoying. But now I get it. You learn consistency. Show up on time. Put in effort even when you're tired.
The Suzanne Court Fitness Centre opened while I was there. New weight room. Good equipment. Spent a lot of time there during hockey season.
Art, Music, and Theatre:
1.) Describe the arts program at your school - what did you like most about it?
I did some photography in grade ten. The darkroom was cool, quiet and kinda slow and different from everything else I was doing.
The Paterson Performance Hall opened recently. Looks nice. I went to a couple shows there. Friends in the band or drama. They were good. The arts kids seemed to have their own community. Respect that.
Extracurricular Opportunities:
1.) Describe the extracurriculars offered at your school - what did you like most about it?
DECA was the big one. I was president in grade twelve. Organized meetings, coached younger members, traveled to conferences. We had a good run. Sent a bunch of people to internationals.
Cadets took a lot of time too. RCACC. Parades on Wednesdays. Training exercises some weekends. I was company commander so I had to plan stuff and manage other cadet leaders. Weird experience but useful.
Peer tutoring program was smaller. I just coordinated schedules. Made sure tutors showed up. Made sure students got help. Not glamorous but it mattered.
STEP Youth Niagara Club was another one. Co-leader. We did community stuff. Fundraisers, events for younger kids. Good way to get off campus and actually help.
Dorm Life:
1.) Describe the dorm life in your school - what did you like most about it?
Ridley has ten boarding houses. I was in one of them. About forty guys per house. Rooms were decent. Mostly doubles for younger years, singles for seniors.
The house system made dorm life work. You had house competitions, house dinners, house meetings. Your house became your family. Weird to say but true.
The dorm parents were around but not annoying. They'd knock before coming in. Made sure we ate. Helped when things went wrong.
Late nights in the common room were the best. Guys doing homework, playing cards, just talking. You learn a lot about people when you live with them.
Dining:
1.) Describe the dining arrangements at your school.
Great Hall is the dining hall. Big windows, long tables. Food was pretty good for a school. Rotating menu. International options sometimes.
Sunday brunch was the best. Pancakes, eggs, bacon. Everyone came down slow and no rush. Just sitting with your house eating and talking.
Friday nights were pasta or stir fry. Solid.
Social and Town Life:
1.) Describe the school's town and surrounding area.
St. Catharines is calm. That's fine. You're there to focus. Downtown is walkable. Coffee shops, restaurants, a movie theatre. Not a big city but enough.
Lake Ontario is close. Some weekends we'd walk down to the water. Good for clearing your head.
Toronto is an hour away. We did trips sometimes for shopping or concerts. Close enough to be useful, far enough that you're not distracted during the week.
Niagara Falls is twenty minutes away. Random but true. You forget it's there until someone visits and wants to go see it.
2.) Describe the social life at your school - what did you like most about it?
Ridley has about 870 students. 375 boarders. Sixty countries represented. So it's diverse.
The house system drives the social scene. You hang with your house mostly. But you also meet people in class, in sports, in clubs. Groups mix fine.
Weekends had activities. Dances, coffeehouses, open mic nights. Not every weekend but often enough. You could also just hang in the common room or go downtown.
What I liked was that nobody was weird about cliques. You could be a hockey player who also did DECA. Or a cadet who also did photography. Nobody cared.
Read more details about Ridley College on their 2026 profile page.
Alumni Reviews Review School
Review
Description
Ridley is in St. Catharines, Ontario. About an hour from Toronto. Campus is huge. Ninety acres right near Lake Ontario. I was there for a good four years.
What makes it different is the house system. . .
Ridley is one of those places that feels like its own world. The campus is massive and beautiful, right on the lake and there's this sense of history everywhere you go. But what made it. . .
Ridley let me dive into service work in ways I didn't expect. Three years meant two major international trips that changed how I think about everything. Guatemala and Thailand weren't tourism or resume stuff. We. . .
Show more reviews (14 reviews)
Recent Articles
What Parents Regret Not Asking Before Boarding School
Key questions parents should ask before choosing a boarding school, from academics and dorm life to wellness, costs, and college counseling.
Roommate Matching at Boarding Schools
How roommate matching at boarding schools works, what students can expect, and how families can prepare for dorm life.
How Often Should Parents Visit Boarding School Students?
Learn how often parents should visit boarding school students, how to balance independence with connection, and what experts recommend in 2026.
