TFS - Canada's International School KEY INSIGHTS

TFS, an esteemed independent coeducational school, offers a bilingual, immersion program for students from age 2 to Grade 12. Established as Toronto French School in 1962, it was the first French immersion school in all of Canada. Today, it stands as the largest independent school in Canada, educating more than 1,500 students across four branches and two campuses in Toronto and Port Credit in Mississauga.

TFS is the only full-continuum International Baccalaureate (IB) world school for French and English in Canada. Students who graduate from the Senior School are qualified to obtain a bilingual or advanced bilingual IB Diploma, as well as the French National Brevet diploma, and the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

The school’s founders, Anna and Harry Giles, recognized the inherent value of bilingual education well before it gained widespread popularity. While TFS has always focused on French language education, it has evolved into so much more. With a strong commitment to pedagogical innovation, internationalism, academic excellence, social-emotional wellbeing and educating the whole child, TFS is a world-renowned educational institution.

ON THE SCHOOL CULTURE AND VALUES

While there isn’t one type of TFS student, there are characteristics and values that theschoollooksforandexpectsfromits students. “We are looking for families who value multilingualism, have an internationally minded perspective and are culturally cognizant,” says Susan Markle, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Enrollment. “We look for students who are motivated, want to learn French, have a growth mindset, are respectful to others and committed to engaging in activities outside of the classroom.”

Student mental health and wellness are top of mind at TFS, with a school-wide emphasis on a holistic approach to academic, social and emotional well-being and success. “Graduates of TFS possess not only a strong academic foundation for post-secondary education and beyond but also the resilience and readiness to face the challenges of the real world,” explains Maryann Shemansky, the school’s Manager of ​​Communications. The school offers an extensive support system, with guidance counsellors, learning specialists and a university counselling team. Teachers, students and parents collaborate closely to ensure each student’s success.

“TFS embraces a variety of learning styles and ensures all students are successful,” says TFS parent Cathy Piedra-McKenzie, whose daughter was among the 2024 TFS graduates and whose son was completing Grade 10 when we spoke. “My daughter started at TFS in JK and my son started when he was two years old in the inaugural Jardin d’éveil program. If there was ever anything that our kids were challenged with, academically, socially, or emotionally, we simply had to pick up the phone and there were individuals willing and able to support them.”

ON INTERNATIONALISM AND DIVERSITY

When asked to describe TFS, teachers, administrators, parents and students all echo a similar sentiment. “We are diverse and embrace multiculturalism in a big way,” says Susan Markle. “On the first day of school, we set up flags representing all the countries of our staff and students, and they stretch all the way down Lawrence Avenue,” adds one of the school’s guidance counsellors.

Cathy Piedra-McKenzie, a Parents’ Association Senior School Branch Representative, notes, “Our children have always had a diverse set of classmates and we are a diverse group of parents. Yet, we are united in our efforts to build a community where our kids can thrive.” TFS’s families come from more than 40 different countries worldwide and many students have studied elsewhere before arriving at TFS.

Optional international trips and exchanges are available to all TFS students at various points in their academic careers. Grade 1 students and their families recently had the opportunity to go on a TFS trip to Paris. On the day of our visit to the school, a coach bus arrived on campus carrying students from a 10-day exchange program in Seville, Spain. “Our mission is to create citizens of the world who appreciate diverse perspectives and can engage in meaningful conversations respectfully,” says Aurélie Lossouarn, the school’s Executive Director of Global Education and Citizenship. “Exchanges— both sending TFS students abroad and welcoming international students to Toronto—are just one of the many ways we achieve this goal.”

ON THE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

For TFS’s youngest students, learning begins in La p’tite école. Children as young as two years old may join TFS in the French-language program called Jardin d’éveil, which follows the Reggio Emilia Approach. Kindergarten is a three-year cycle that starts with Pre-K. “This allows students to fully grasp all components and contents of the French curriculum,” explains Ann François, Principal of La p’tite école. “Our focus is on creating a nurturing, safe environment where these little ones feel cared for and supported. The IB’s Primary Years Program (PYP) is also integrated into everything we do.” Instruction is entirely in French, and although most TFS students do not come from French-speaking homes, they quickly pick up the language. Students transition to the Junior School from La p’tite école at the end of Grade 1.

The Junior School starts in Grade 2 and continues through Grade 5. This marks the introduction of English into the curriculum, with the PYP serving as the framework for learning. These formative years are crucial in a child’s development, and the Junior School fosters students’ interests and passions while exploring a diverse range of subjects including mathematics, science, languages, coding and robotics, environmental education, poetry, arts, music, and more. Classroom learning is guided by student inquiry.

The Senior School welcomes students in Grade 6 from the Junior School and elsewhere and guides them through the middle school and high school years in an academically enriching environment, filled with unique learning and co-curricular opportunities. Beginning in Grade 6, students rotate among classrooms and learn from subject-specialist teachers. This is also the year when students have the opportunity to choose a third language.

The Collège years, framed by the IB’s Middle Years Program (MYP) go from Grades 6 through Level II (Grade 9), correspond to the French national education system and culminate in the Brevet exams. “These are the exact same set of exams that students take in France at this grade level, and the exams are marked by examiners from France,” says Shemansky. “The following fall, students are presented with Le Diplôme National du Brevet des Collèges, their very first diploma, usually by the consul général of France in Toronto.” Students then progress through the Lycée years, which include Levels III through V (the equivalent of Grades 10 through 12) and lead to both an Ontario Secondary School Diploma and an IB Diploma, including the Bilingual and rarely granted Advanced Bilingual IB Diploma, of which TFS students receive a significant number on a world-wide basis.

ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Andrea Pradier joined TFS in Grade 6 and was recently elected as one of the 2024/2025 First Citizens, a role equivalent to that of Head Girl/Head Boy at other independent schools. Andrea says she has dreamed of holding this position since she first started at TFS, and has always been deeply involved in school life, leadership, athletics and the arts.

“TFS provides you with a lot of opportunities to develop your personal and academic interests,” she says. “There is definitely a lot of work and it’s a very rigorous school, but if you put in the work and you stay organized, then it’s possible to be really successful. For new students thinking about TFS, I would say, don’t worry so much about the perceived challenge. You’ll be in amazing hands here, the teachers are supportive and there is plenty of opportunity for balance.”

At TFS’s West Campus in Mississauga, which teaches students from PK through Grade 7, teacher-librarian Louise Soucy-Fraser directs a school musical every year. She has done The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, and The Lion King, among others, all of which she has personally translated into French. “I believe the best way to pass along the French language is through culture—music, arts, cinema—and for me, that’s why it’s so important that I keep these musicals going.”

“While TFS is not a small school, they make it feel like a small school, ensuring every student is seen and supported,” says Azin Tabrizi-Holder, an alumna of the school and parent of a graduating student. “As a parent, you feel like you need to advocate for your child, but by Grade 7, my daughter was comfortable advocating for herself. The school creates young adults who are very independent and confident in themselves, and I see that across the board.”

From overnight trips to co-curricular clubs and events to enriched academic experiences, Tabrizi-Holder says her daughter’s time at TFS has been filled with memorable moments and invaluable opportunities.

ON ATHLETICS, ARTS AND CO-CURRICULARS

“I would say 99% of our students participate in at least one athletic activity,” says Junior School Principal Alexandre Ferrand. With an extensive athletics program, a FIFA regulation-sized turf field and a competition-sized indoor pool, TFS also has many student-athletes who are recruited to universities each year for their sport. “People tend to think of this as a solely academic institution, where it might not be feasible for students to be successful in high-level athletics, but it’s definitely possible and every year we have students go on to awesome places to do fantastic things in sports,” says Kimberly English, the school’s Director of University Counselling.

Students can explore their passions and discover new interests through co-curricular activities. Recent TFS graduate Martin Thaw, who is pursuing a Management and Technology dual degree at Wharton and the Engineering School of the University of Pennsylvania, speaks enthusiastically about his experiences at TFS. Not only was he the editor-in-chief of the school paper, but he was also part of the robotics team, ran the school’s morning announcements, served as a prefect and played on the tennis team. “Many of the activities I started at TFS I’m now continuing in college, which is amazing,” Martin says.

With more than 60 clubs and associations available to Senior School students, there’s always something for everyone to get involved in. And, if the club you want doesn’t exist, students are encouraged to start their own. “My daughter’s love of science was fostered through a very supportive group of educators who encouraged her to take on leadership roles in that space,” says Piedra-McKenzie. “She started a Marine Biology and Zoology club with a classmate and used this club to share her passion for ecology and science. She’s now found younger students who share her passion and will take over the club when she graduates.”