On this page we cover boarding schools in the province of British Columbia. This includes schools in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey, Burnaby, and Richmond. For a complete guide to boarding in Canada, including information about admissions, please see our introductory guide.
"Confident Learners. Inspiring Leaders. Creating a thriving world.
—From the school
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Victoria, British Columbia "GNS is an independent JK-12 International Baccalaureate boarding and day school in Victoria, BC, that empowers and supports each of our students to do their best through truth and courage in learning and in life." —From the school
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Mill Bay, British Columbia "Brentwood is a leading university prep school that brings to life student choice through its bold tripartite program. We are a true boarding school, not merely a school with boarding, and the ocean is our playground." —From the school
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Victoria, British Columbia Richmond Rd/McRae Ave "Independent Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 boarding and day school in Victoria, BC, Canada focusing on outstanding preparation for life. Find out how a SMUS education can benefit your family." —From the school
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Victoria, British Columbia "Brookes Westshore is an IB World School on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC, offering grades 4 to 12 in both day and boarding programmes (from grade 8 for boarding). We have an average class size of 15 students." —From the school
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North Vancouver, British Columbia Harbourside Drive/ "Bodwell High School emphasizes a well-rounded education with strong student support. The school's motto, "Strength in Diversity," pays homage to the 40+ countries students come from. Bodwell offers AP and IB courses." —From the school
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Duncan, British Columbia Brownsey Avenue/Government Street "Queen Margaret's School is a gender inclusive independent day/boarding university preparatory school in Duncan, BC that focuses on preparing young trailblazers...no two journeys are the same." —From the school
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Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia "Beginning in Grade 8, our unique Shawnigan journey purposefully guides students through a distinct, unparalleled and bold educational experience on our stunning waterfront campus on Canada’s beautiful West Coast." —From the school
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Kimberley, British Columbia "Grateful. Mindful. Purposeful. Successful. At Purcell Collegiate School, we will prep you--for university and for life. Learn more about the u.prep@pcs suite of extra-curricular programs on our website." —From the school
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Summerland, British Columbia "Looking for an education that's out of the ordinary? Unisus School is a Pre - K to Grade 12 day and boarding school in Canada's Okanagan, offering the International Baccalaureate program + the B.C. Diploma (Dogwood)." —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.
Word-of-mouth is another powerful tool in your school-finding arsenal. The Our Kids private school discussion forum allows you to discuss your options and debate topics around gifted education. You can use our community of parents, educational experts, alumni, and schools to help answer your questions and stimulate your thinking.
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.
School name | Date | Location |
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Queen Margaret's School | May 03, 2024 9:00 am | Queen Margaret's School 660 Brownsey Avenue Duncan British Columbia V9L 1C2 |
Glenlyon Norfolk School | May 15, 2024 9:00 am | Glenlyon Norfolk School 1701 Beach Drive Victoria BC V8R 6H9 |
Glenlyon Norfolk School | May 15, 2024 6:00 pm |
Broadly speaking, the cost of boarding reflects the cost private school tuition in general, though with premiums added to cover housing and meals.
Many schools offer financial aid, including scholarships and bursaries. Financial aid is needs-based, and financial aid programs are created as a means of broadening the student base and attracting students, independent of means, who will contribute most to the culture of the school. Generally speaking, the larger and more expensive schools provide the most aid.
You can read more about financial aid and scholarships in our dedicated guide.
Below you'll find the range of costs at British Columbia boarding schools:
Tuition (boarding school) | Students receiving financial aid | Grade eligibility for financial aid | Avg. aid package size (annual) | |
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St. Margaret's School | $54,000 to $69,100 | |||
Glenlyon Norfolk School | $57,260 to $73,145 | 15% | SK - 12 | $2,000 |
Brentwood College School | $68,000 to $96,300 | 27% | 9 - 12 | $20,000 |
St. Michaels University School | $57,595 to $75,360 | 20% | K - 12 | $11,685 |
Brookes Westshore | $47,000 to $62,000 | 10% | 7 - 12 | $5,000 |
Queen Margaret's School | $62,880 to $79,230 | 25% | SK - 12 | $3,000 |
Shawnigan Lake School | $90,000 | 30% | 8 - 12 | |
Unisus School | $49,980 to $59,480 | 30% | 1 - 11 | $3,000 |
Founding date | Endowment | Admissions rate | Enrollment | Enrollment per grade | |
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St. Margaret's School | 1908 | 85% | 285 | 20 | |
Glenlyon Norfolk School | 1913 | $1,000,000 | 72% | 854 | 57 |
Brentwood College School | 1923 | $20,000,000 | 553 | 111 | |
St. Michaels University School | 1906 | $17,000,000 | 1003 | 77 | |
Brookes Westshore | 2009 | 95% | 251 | 28 | |
Bodwell High School | 1991 | $0 | 60% | 560 | 112 |
Queen Margaret's School | 1921 | 80% | 553 | 35 | |
Shawnigan Lake School | 1916 | $13,500,000 | 60% | 540 | 108 |
Purcell Collegiate School | 60 | ||||
Unisus School | 2018 | 70% | 130 | 9 |
Primary curriculum | Secondary curriculum | Curriculum pace | Academic culture | Average class size | Language immersion | Special needs support | Tech integration |
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St. Margaret's School | Traditional | International Baccalaureate | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 15 to 20 | No support | Medium integration | |
Glenlyon Norfolk School | Progressive | International Baccalaureate | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 16 to 18 | No support | Medium integration | |
Brentwood College School | Liberal Arts | Standard-enriched | Supportive | 16 | No support | Heavy integration | ||
St. Michaels University School | Progressive | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | No support | Medium integration | |||
Brookes Westshore | Progressive | International Baccalaureate | Accelerated | Rigorous | 12 to 18 | Full-time Dedicated Class | Light integration | |
Bodwell High School | Progressive | International Baccalaureate | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 18 to 24 | No support | Medium integration | |
Queen Margaret's School | Progressive | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 16 to 22 | No support | Medium integration | ||
Shawnigan Lake School | Traditional | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 17 | No support | Heavy integration | ||
Purcell Collegiate School | Progressive | 12 to 20 | No support | |||||
Unisus School | Progressive | International Baccalaureate | Student-paced | Supportive | No support | Heavy integration |
Legend:
St. Margaret's School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Glenlyon Norfolk School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Brentwood College School | ||||||||||||||||||||
St. Michaels University School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Brookes Westshore | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bodwell High School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Queen Margaret's School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shawnigan Lake School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Purcell Collegiate School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unisus School |
Admission deadline | SSAT required | Interview required | Acceptance rate | Next open house | |
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St. Margaret's School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | Preschool - 12 | 85% | ||
Glenlyon Norfolk School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling Homestay: rolling | Preschool - 12 | 72% | May 15, 2024 | |
Brentwood College School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 9 - 12 | |||
St. Michaels University School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | K - 12 | |||
Brookes Westshore | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 4 - 12 | 95% | ||
Bodwell High School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling Homestay: rolling | 8 - 12 | 60% | ||
Queen Margaret's School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling Homestay: rolling | Preschool - 12 | 80% | May 3, 2024 | |
Shawnigan Lake School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 8 - 12 | 60% | ||
Purcell Collegiate School | Day: Jan 1, 1970 Boarding: Jan 1, 1970 Homestay: Jan 1, 1970 | ||||
Unisus School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | Preschool - 11 | 70% |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
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St. Margaret's School | |||||||||||||||||
Glenlyon Norfolk School | 72% | 72% | 72% | 72% | 72% | 80% | 72% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 72% | 72% | 72% | 90% | |||
Brentwood College School | |||||||||||||||||
St. Michaels University School | |||||||||||||||||
Brookes Westshore | |||||||||||||||||
Bodwell High School | |||||||||||||||||
Queen Margaret's School | |||||||||||||||||
Shawnigan Lake School | |||||||||||||||||
Unisus School | 90% | 95% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 70% | 70% | 60% | 25% |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
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St. Margaret's School | |||||||||||||||||
Brentwood College School | |||||||||||||||||
St. Michaels University School | |||||||||||||||||
Brookes Westshore | |||||||||||||||||
Bodwell High School | |||||||||||||||||
Queen Margaret's School | |||||||||||||||||
Shawnigan Lake School | |||||||||||||||||
Unisus School | 80% | 70% | 70% | 60% | 25% |
Math | Science | Literature | Humanities Social Sciences | Foreign Languages | Fine Arts | |
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St. Margaret's School | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Creative |
Glenlyon Norfolk School | Equal Balance | Inquiry | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | Equal Balance |
Brentwood College School | Traditional Math | Expository | Traditional | Perennialism | Communicative | Creative |
St. Michaels University School | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance |
Brookes Westshore | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | Equal Balance |
Bodwell High School | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance |
Queen Margaret's School | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | Equal Balance |
Shawnigan Lake School | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | ||
Purcell Collegiate School | ||||||
Unisus School | Equal Balance | Inquiry | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Creative |
Student council | School newspaper | Yearbook | Radio club | Photograph club | Art club |
Choir | Band | Dance club | Yoga club | Drama club | Debate club |
Chess club | Math club | Science club | Robotics club | Computer club | Environmental club | Outdoor club | Community service |
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St. Margaret's School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Glenlyon Norfolk School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Brentwood College School | ||||||||||||||||||||
St. Michaels University School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Brookes Westshore | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bodwell High School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Queen Margaret's School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shawnigan Lake School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unisus School |
Badminton | Baseball | Basketball | Cricket | Equestrian | Football | Golf | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Rowing | Rugby | Soccer | Softball | Squash | Swimming | Tennis | Track and Field | Volleyball | Wrestling |
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St. Margaret's School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Glenlyon Norfolk School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Brentwood College School | ||||||||||||||||||||
St. Michaels University School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Brookes Westshore | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bodwell High School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Queen Margaret's School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shawnigan Lake School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unisus School |
Private and independent schools are a well-established and highly supported aspect of British Columbia's education system. More than 85 percent of B.C.'s private schools receive some provincial funding, totaling in excess of $150 million in provincial funding support each year. The BC ministry of education inspects and regulates private schools, and all schools are accountable to the School Act which identifies their core responsibilities and requirements.
British Columbia supports private schooling through tax incentives. Additionally, a portion of tuition paid to faith-based institutions may be accounted as a charitable donation and eligible for a tax credit.
High school graduation requirements are set by British Columbia's Ministry of Education, not the federal government. In order to earn a high school diploma—named the Dogwood Diploma—students are required to complete 80 credits, where each credit represents 30 hours of in-class instruction. To graduate, a student must ear 48 credits for required courses, a minimum of 28 elective credits. Students are also required to earn 4 credits for Graduation Transitions, a requirement intended to prepare students to make a successful transition to life after graduation.
These are:
Regardless of when students begin their programs, all must fulfill all graduation requirements and demonstrate competence in one of Canada's two official languages in order to earn a graduation diploma. A high school completion certificate, known as the Evergreen Certificate, is granted in some cases, and is not equivalent to the Dogwood Diploma.
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