Here’s the OUR KIDS guide to boys’ boarding schools—your starting point for exploring residential education designed specifically for young men. These schools combine rigorous academics with structured campus life, creating an environment where boys can develop independence, discipline, and leadership skills.
Boys’ boarding schools emphasize both intellectual and personal growth, offering programs that balance classroom learning with athletics, arts, and character-building activities. Students benefit from mentorship, supportive peer communities, and opportunities to build lifelong friendships in a setting that encourages responsibility and resilience.
For more than 30 years, OUR KIDS has shared insights into private and independent education, connecting families with resources to make confident decisions. On OurKids.net, you’ll find detailed profiles, reviews, and comparison tools to help guide your search. For a complete guide to boys’ boarding schools, including information about academics, campus life, and admissions, please guide to boarding schools.
These are the leading schools that Our Kids editors have covered most extensively so far, providing detailed insights and thorough analysis of their programs, student life, and more.
"At Upper Canada College tradition, excellence and innovation meet. UCC inspires boys to lead lives of leadership, service and impact through transformative learning experiences that develop head, heart and humanity.
—From the school
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"St. George's School in Vancouver offers university-preparatory program to Canadian and International boarding students from Grade 8 to 12. The School's mission: Building Fine Young Men. One Boy at a Time.
—From the school
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 Aurora, Ontario St. John's Sideroad/Yonge Street "With a tradition dating back to 1899, St. Andrew's remains the single largest all-boys boarding school in Canada. Our 126-acre campus provides our students with an ideal setting for learning and growth." —From the school
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Our boarding school guide has advice specific to finding boarding schools in Canada. For insights that are more general (on how to evaluate school options) we recommend you review our hub on choosing a school. You can also read our guides to questions to ask private schools and questions students get asked at school interviews.
Private school expos are ideal launching pads for your school-finding journey. All expos are held in the fall at a number of centres across Canada. There are three expos hosted in Ontario, one in Toronto, one in Halton-Peel, and one in Ottawa. Expos are also held each fall in Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. All are opportunities to speak with administrators from leading boarding schools within the regions in which the expos are held.
Attending open houses is obviously a great way to learn more about a school and get a feel for the environment. For some advice on open house visits, go here. For questions to ask that are specific to boarding programs, refer to our main boarding school hub.
Broadly speaking, the cost of all boys' boarding schools reflects the cost of private school tuition in general, with additional premiums to cover housing, meals, and round-the-clock supervision. While tuition varies widely, families can expect similar ranges to other boarding options, with some schools positioned at the higher end due to their facilities and extracurricular offerings.
Many boys boarding schools offer financial aid, including scholarships and bursaries. Financial aid is needs-based and designed to broaden the student body by welcoming talented students who may not otherwise have access. Scholarships, often merit-based, recognize academic achievement, athletic ability, or leadership qualities. Generally, the larger and more established private boys' boarding schools provide the most robust aid programs.
You can read more about financial aid and scholarships in our dedicated guide.
Below, you’ll find the range of costs at all boys boarding schools in Canada and abroad:
| Tuition (boarding school) | Students receiving financial aid | Grade eligibility for financial aid | Avg. aid package size (annual) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Upper Canada College | $73,700 to $81,100 | 20% | 5 - 12 | $15,000 |
St. George's School | $70,000 to $94,800 | 8% | 4 - 12 | $17,500 |
St. Andrew's College | $76,440 to $84,435 | 26% | 5 - 12 |
| Founding date | Endowment | Admissions rate | Enrollment | Enrollment per grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Upper Canada College | 1829 | $150,000,000 | 1277 | 85 | |
St. George's School | 1930 | $25,000,000 | 1202 | ||
St. Andrew's College | 1899 | $33,000,000 | 62% | 671 | 84 |
OUR KIDS Go to School specializes in listings of private, independent, and boarding schools in Canada. Here, you’ll find extensive listings of all boys' boarding schools from across the country.
Boys' boarding schools give young men the opportunity to learn and grow in an environment free from many of the social distractions found in coed settings. In all boys' boarding schools, students are often more willing to take academic and personal risks, exploring subjects and activities they may not otherwise pursue.
These schools also provide a supportive community, with close attention from teachers and administrators. Away from some of the cultural and media pressures of everyday life, boys can focus on learning, leadership, and character development.
Private boys' boarding schools for boys often:
Historically, all boys boarding schools were established to prepare students for leadership in politics, military, and public life. While rooted in tradition, today’s private boys' boarding schools challenge those norms by promoting inclusivity, resilience, and social-emotional development. Programs like UCC’s Character Project emphasize not only academics, but also qualities such as courage, integrity, and emotional maturity—helping young men become their best selves.
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