1325 East Keith Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7J 1J3, Canada
200-1046 St Georges Avenue, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7L 3H6, Canada
1996
2012
110
118
Preschool to 7
K to 12
Coed
Coed
Day
Day
English
English
Academic
Academic
Montessori
Liberal Arts
Varies
8 to 12
In-class adaptations
$8,550 to $16,785
$20,000
Yes
No
0%
0%
K to 7
None
$0
$0
10
9
0%
0%
0%
0%
Rolling
Not available
Not available
Not available
No
Yes: grades K - 12
No
No
information not available
information not available
North Star Montessori Elementary School is the only school in the North Shore area offering an authentic Montessori elementary program, enriched by outdoor education and field trips. The school’s welcoming community benefits from dedicated teachers trained in Montessori methods, as well as small classes. The school is known for its individualized approach and the ability to ignite a deep love of learning, independence, and respect in students. Its curriculum surpasses BC grade-level standards, with specialized programs in French, music, and STEM. North Star Montessori also offers extensive physical education, integrated arts programs, and a variety of field trips. Parents are drawn to North Star for its nurturing environment and commitment to academic development. The school maintains a non-competitive atmosphere without traditional testing. North Star's education model focuses on developing well-rounded individuals, prepared for lifelong success with creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking skills.
View full reportAlcuin College was founded in 2012 in the understanding that learning begins with a relationship between student and teacher, and flourishes within a community of learners. The goal is to begin with all the things that students bring with them into the classroom—the curiosities, the concerns—and to use them as the basis for aspirations—to learn, to grow, and connect with others. As much as possible, instruction is tutorial, bringing students together in small groups around specific tasks or inquiries. Teachers are hired for both their experience in the classroom as well as in the community, which adds a nice dimension to the life of the school, in that learning is taken beyond the walls of the school itself. The curriculum is challenging, though the support is as well, ensuring that students remain on task and engaged.
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"The staff was wonderful in helping my son reach his university dreams."
Susan Federspiel - Parent (Mar 27, 2023)
My son loved the community and the personal connection with the teachers at Alcuin. The positive rel...
View full review
"An authentic Montessori program from birth to Gr. 7, we are committed to meeting the needs of each student. We foster a love of learning, independence and respect. The benefits and robust academic curriculum of the Montessori program extend beyond the walls of the classroom and the limits of the BC grade-level curriculum allowing students to meet their fullest potential. Practical experiences build confidence and inspire the self-motivation to 'learn' and 'do' which students carry with them throughout their lives."
"Alcuin College is a progressive, independent K-12 school rooted in curiosity-led learning. We specialize in providing an innovative, hands-on education based on the Liberal Arts. As an independent school on Vancouver’s North Shore, Alcuin attracts students who are coping in their current schools, but are not necessarily thriving, or who are uninspired. Our very small class sizes ensure personal attention, and our challenging curriculum is enriched by the resources and expertise available in our local community."
"We meet the social, academic, and developmental needs of each student in an exciting and engaging way. Students are seen as individual learners and their lessons are planned according to their own unique needs and learning styles. Specially trained teachers use the Montessori materials to create a lasting impression of concepts. Deeper exploration of concepts in a dynamic mixed-age classroom make learning fun!"
"Personal attention is key. We seek out the interests of each child and adjust learning experiences to suit individual needs. For our senior scholars, we tailor elective courses to encourage passions and meet long-term goals. Your will find our students off-site frequently, interacting with the community and learning from the real world. We explore a variety of inspiring destinations to engage the children intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Alcuin is a safe place for students to learn a"
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"Families choose North Star because of the warm, caring and inclusive environments in each of the classrooms. They notice from their first tour of the school that students at North Star are calm, focused, and happy. They are confident knowing that North Star is a recognized and authentic Montessori school with high-quality, experienced teachers, and appreciate that their child will be encouraged to strive beyond the academic boundaries of the BC grade-level curriculum."
"Families choose Alcuin for our small class sizes, personal attention and our caring community."
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"The huge social-emotional and academic benefits of the mixed-age classrooms- The
collaborative nature of student relationships across the ages provides inspiration and motivation to younger students, leadership opportunities and reinforcement of knowledge for older students and an elevated level of socialization skills for all students. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that more closely reflects the social dynamic in life outside of school."
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"Given the non-competitive atmosphere with no traditional testing or homework, it can be surprising to new families that students are so academically advanced, and that grade level competencies are a base, not the ceiling for their child's potential. The way the lessons are presented and the exploratory nature of the Montessori Materials creates a lasting impression and solidifies knowledge."
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Liberal Arts
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Particularly popular in the younger grades (preschool to elementary), but sometimes available all the way up to high school, Montessori schools offer an alternative vision to the standard lesson format of most classrooms. Instead of listening to whole-class lessons, Montessori classrooms allow students to choose which "tasks" or activities interest them. These tasks centre around special Montessori puzzles - their essential feature being they contain a right answer and allow for selfcorrection. A strong emphasis is therefore placed on lessons being concrete and rooted in practical experience, along with students developing a sense of self-sufficiency, confidence and curiosity.
Liberal Arts curricula share with traditional programs their emphasis on core knowledge-acquisition, but tend to borrow more best practices from the progressive approach. A Liberal Arts program might still feature group work and projects, for example, contrary to the more singular emphasis on tests and essays at a Traditional program.
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Alcuin College was founded upon the desire for a successful model of education that focuses on the long-term growth and development of the student. We want our children to become true life-long learners, striving to be the best that they can be, inspired by teachers, parents and experts who themselves are scholars. Through our inquiry approach, students are actively engaged in the learning process and develop an understanding of themselves as learners and as citizens of a community. Our approach encourages students to take charge of their learning and offers opportunities for them to expand their capacity to think, create and innovate, and construct meaning about the world. Smaller tutorial groups of students, under the personal and expert guidance of a master teacher, develop analytic and creative skills and are challenged to think critically, to reflect, to speak and to write with logic and concision. The unique and fundamental relationship between student and teacher is central to successful learning.
Equal Balance
These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
The Montessori materials allow the students to explore a concrete experience of abstract mathematics concepts. This work provides the student with solid underpinnings for conventional mathematical principles, providing a structured scope for abstract reasoning.
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North Star has the full scope of Montessori Materials for the Mathematics curriculum,
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Balanced Literacy
Balanced reading programs are typically Whole Language programs with supplementary phonics training. This training might be incidental, or it might take the form of mini-lessons.
The language program, which begins at age 3, is phonetically based. Sound games and other activities are played to establish phonological awareness. Once a student is familiar with all or most of the sounds, they begin to put them together to build words. When this base is strong, they move to learning blends, phonograms and sight words.
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Equal balance
Programs that balance systematic and process approaches equally likely have an emphasis on giving young students ample opportunities to write, while providing supplementary class-wide instruction in grammar, parts of sentences, and various writing strategies.
Writing comes before reading in Montessori. Through letter sound recognition, students use the Movable Alphabet to begin building words and sentences. Prior experience with the practical life exercises helps strengthen the hand and create habits for writing including the pincer grip, moving from let to right and the circular motion for cursive writing. Students are writing phonetic stream of consciousness long before spelling and grammar are formally taught.
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Equal Balance
Science programs that balance expository and inquiry learning equally will likely have an equal blend of tests and experiments; direct, textbook-based instruction and student-centred projects.
Visit North Star's website for more detailed information.
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Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
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Please visit North Star's website for more information
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Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Not applicable
Not applicable
Please visit North Star's website for more information.
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Please visit North Star's website for more information
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Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
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Equal Balance
These programs have an equal emphasis on receptive and creative learning.
Please visit North Star's website for more information.
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Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
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Web design
Robotics
Computer science
Web design
Robotics
Computer science
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Play-based
Montessori programs aimed at preschool and Kindergarten- aged children allow young learners to choose which “tasks” or activities interest them. These tasks centre around special Montessori puzzles -- the essential features of these puzzles being they contain a “right answer” and allow for self-correction. A strong emphasis is therefore placed on learning being concrete and rooted in practical experience, along with children developing a sense of self-sufficiency and confidence. Specially trained teachers act as guides, introducing children to progressively more difficult materials when appropriate. A Montessori classroom is typically very calm and orderly, with children working alone or, sometimes, in small groups.
If you want to learn more about Montessori education, check out our comprehensive guide. You can also check out our guide to Montessori preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools.
Play-based programs are the most common type of preschool and Kindergarten, and are founded on the belief young children learn best through play. Largely open-ended and minimally structured, play-based programs aim to develop social skills and a love of attending school. “Pre-academic” skills are taught, but in a more indirect way than at, say, an Academic program: through children playing in different “stations” set up around the classroom, which children choose on their own volition. Stations often contain an indirect lesson or developmental goal. Play-based classrooms are highly social and active.
We offer a rich, personalised programme that engages students through inquiry as they build their foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Our Kindergarten is a full-day, play-based programme, where students spend one day of the week actively exploring the outdoors, discovering new information about their world, and developing their language and thinking skills, their social and emotional skills, and their self-awareness. Our Grade 1-2 programme builds on foundational literacy and numeracy skills and offers students the opportunity to engage in explorations that encourage critical and creative thinking and allows them to explore their interests and discoveries as they develop their skills. Students in Grade 1-3 continue to spend one day of the week actively exploring the outdoors.
Standard-enriched
The main curriculum pace is non-standardized and is HIGHLY responsive to the pacing of individual students, (via differentiated instruction, differentiated assessment, etc). In theory, some students outpace the default/normalized curriculum, while others spend periods "behind schedule" if they need the extra time.
Broadly-speaking, the main curriculum -- like that of most schools -- paces the provincially-outlined one. This pace is steady and set by the teachers and school. The curriculum might still be enriched in various ways: covering topics more in-depth and with more vigor than the provincial one, or covering a broader selection of topics.
The teachers carefully observe the students, record their progress, give further support and direction as necessary, and present the next level of martial /work, when the student is ready.
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Supportive
A school with a “supportive” academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a “rigorous” academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
A school with a “supportive” academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a “rigorous” academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
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"We intentionally avoid all forms of public distinction between students in terms of academic performance."
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Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
Intellectual
The goal is to cultivate "academically strong, creative and critical thinkers, capable of exercising rationality, apprehending truth, and making aesthetic distinctions."
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CompetitiveComp. |
RecreationalRec. |
CompetitiveComp. |
RecreationalRec. |
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Badminton |
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Baseball |
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Basketball |
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Canoeing/Kayaking |
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Cricket |
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Cross-country skiing |
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Cycling |
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Downhill skiing |
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Equestrian |
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Fencing |
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Field Hockey |
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Figure Skating |
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Football |
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Golf |
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Gymnastics |
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Ice Hockey |
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Ice Skating |
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Lacrosse |
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Martial Arts |
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Mountain biking |
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Racquet Ball |
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Rowing |
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Rugby |
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Running |
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Sailing |
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Skateboarding |
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Snowboarding |
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Soccer |
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Softball |
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Squash |
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Swimming |
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Tennis |
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Track & Field |
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Volleyball |
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Weightlifting |
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Wrestling |
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Archery |
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Curling |
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Ultimate |
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
K - 7
0%
0%
$0
$0
0%
0%
Rolling
Not available
Not available
Not available
No
Yes: grades K - 12
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
The younger the child is when exposed to the Montessori environment, the more success they will have in it.
Please visit North Star's Website for more information.