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Go to child profileLocated in Calgary, Alberta, West Island College (WIC) is a premier, independent university preparatory school. Open to students in Gr. 7 - 12, WIC offers English and French Immersion programs. At WIC, students are inspired to pursue excellence in academics, leadership, athletics and global awareness preparing them for success in the future. WIC strives to fulfill its mission to empower each student to thrive, contribute and live a healthy, purposeful life. Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Ready.
What learning looks like now: West Island College re-opened for Students in a face to face manner on September 1/2020 Students/Staff are wearing masks. Social distance measures are in place as well as frequent sanitizing procedures. Remote attendance has been offered to students who are ill or uncomfortable and cannot attend school. Online streaming of classes and the use of Learning Management systems allow students to participate from a home location.
Curriculum delivery:
Living Arrangement | Grades | Delivery Model | Frequency |
---|---|---|---|
Day | Gr. 7 - Gr. 12 | In-person | Full-time |
West Island College offers bus transferring. Service options offered are regular rider, regular rider AM only, regular rider PM only.
The regions West Island College offers busing from are:
Additional notes: WIC has 3 bus routes One runs to the northwest terminating at the Crowchild YMCA. The 2nd to the west side- terminating at the Lutheran Church and the 3rd to the area south of the downtown core.
West Island College was founded in Montreal in 1974, and was intended to provide a strong bilingual option for families living on Montreal’s West Island. The program there provided a foundation, and a name, for West Island College in Calgary when it was established in 1982. That said, the school quickly established its own independent operations and identity. As such, it was free to build and grow to meet the needs of its students, and it certainly has. The international programs are robust, as are the language programs, all of which contribute to the overall culture of the school. It’s a very interactive, engaging environment, one that requires a lot of the students who attend while also providing the support they need to succeed. The ideal student is one who shares the school’s foundational values and can thrive in a very active and engaging student environment.
International curriculum & programs at West Island College: Duke of Edinburgh's Award
Focus |
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Academic |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Evolution as consensus theory | |
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories | |
Evolution is not taught |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Biology | |
Chemistry | |
Ecology | |
Geology | |
Meteorology | |
Physics | |
Physiology | |
Zoology |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Acting | |
Dance | |
Drama/Theatre | |
Graphic Design | |
Music | |
Visual Arts |
Expressive | |
Disciplined |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Computer science | |
Robotics | |
Web design |
Flexible pacing style | offered |
---|---|
Subject-streaming (tracking) | |
Multi-age classrooms as standard | |
Ability-grouping (in-class) as common | |
Frequent use of cyber-learning (at-their-own-pace) | |
Regular guided independent study opportunities | |
Differentiated assessment |
West Island College offers no/limited support for students with learning difficulties or special needs.
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation | |
Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties |
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Accommodations | |
Modifications | |
Extra support |
Read our guide to special needs schools and special education
Curriculum delivery: Enrichment (The main focus is on enrichment. This means that while students may work at a marginally quicker pace than public school peers, the primary aim is to study subject in broader and deeper ways.)
Program | offered |
---|---|
Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement) | |
Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement) | |
Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others) | |
Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement) | |
Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement) |
English - 80% | French - 20% |
In grade Gr. 12, West Island College students perform an average of >2 hours of homework per night.
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Island College | 60 mins | 60 mins | 120 mins | 160 mins | 160 mins | 160 mins |
Site Average | 51 mins | 56 mins | 69 mins | 80 mins | 98 mins | 107 mins |
Lettered or numbered grades | Gr. 7 to Gr. 12 |
Academic achievement reporting | Gr. 7 to Gr. 12 |
Parent-teacher meetings | Gr. 7 to Gr. 12 |
Competitive sports: 15
Recreational sports: 13
West Island College offers 27 clubs and extracurricular programs.
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
Day (Domestic) | $19,688 | |||||
Day (International) | $25,688 |
Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | Gr. 7 to Gr. 12 | Coed | Day | 588 |
Total enrolment | 588 |
Average class size | 18 to 22 |
% of international students (total enrolment) | 1% |
Number of different nationalities within student population | 10 |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Enrollment | 105 | 105 | 105 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
Class Size | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Assessment | Required | Grades |
---|---|---|
Interview | 7 - 11 | |
SSAT | 8 - 11 | |
SSAT (out of province) | 8 - 11 | |
Entrance Exam(s) | 7 - 12 | |
Entrance Essay | 7 - 12 |
Day students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry:
No
Application fee: $150
Registration fee: N/A
Deposit:
$5,000
Please note we will accept the SSAT instead of our locally offered entrance exams. Choose West Island College as a recipient in the SSAT online tool.
This is the percentage of applicants typically accepted into the school. So if 50 students are admitted out of 100 applicants, the school has an overall acceptance rate of 50%.
Student Entry Points
This shows approximately how many openings there are likely to be in each grade in a typical year, as well as the estimated acceptance rate for each grade level.
Student Type | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 100 - 105 (90%) | 1 - 10 (90%) | 1 - 10 (90%) | 15 - 20 (90%) | 1 - 3 (90%) | 0 |
Average graduating class size | 85 |
Students accepted into post-secondary studies upon graduation | 100% |
Percentage of students who attend post-secondary institutions outside of Canada | 5% |
Students who attended a Ivy+ school Number of students in the past 5 years that that attended one of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, University of Chicago, Oxford or Cambridge (UK) | 10 |
Queen's University | 25% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University of Calgary | 25% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western University | 25% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University of British Columbia | 10% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University of Ottawa | 5% |
West Island College Graduates’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Aggregate of All Schools’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Career planning | |
Internships | N/A |
Mentorship Program | N/A |
University counseling |
What West Island College says:
Alumnus | Grad Year | Accomplishment |
---|---|---|
Manjit Minhas | 1998 | Owner of Minhas Craft Brewery. And Current Dragon on CBC's Dragon Den |
Alumni Highlights
In this, our 40th year, West Island College continues to be dedicated to the many students and families that walk through our doors. We are a tight-knit community of learners here, dedicated to excellence, as learners, citizens, friends, and professionals.
A rigorous academic program, in both English and French Immersion, is balanced with ample opportunities for our students to engage in areas of passion and interest. They can pursue the fine arts, business, athletics, leadership, engineering, health sciences, international travel, and outdoor education to name just a few of the extensive opportunities afforded to them.
A sense of belonging, a key factor in our well-being as individuals, is at the heart of the WIC culture. We seek to find ample opportunities for our students to find their place here and to flourish as an individual, now and moving forward into their young adult lives.
A school proud to be a part of the innovative and entrepreneurial fabric of Calgary, our students Own Their Future. We are proud to walk alongside them as they discover and explore the opportunities and challenges in front of them. I encourage you to explore our website for more information about our Institutes, International Languages and Culture, and Experiential programs as just some of the unique programs offered here at the College.
We hope that you come join us in our pursuit to Be Bold, Be Brave, and Be Ready.
À la veille de notre 40e anniversaire, West Island College continue de servir humblement les élèves et les familles qui franchissent nos portes. Notre communauté est unie et toujours à la recherche de l’excellence, élèves, citoyens, amis et professionnels confondus.
À WIC, nos élèves peuvent bénéficier non seulement de programmes académiques rigoureux en anglais et en immersion française, mais aussi de nombreuses opportunités pour approfondir leurs centres d’intérêt et leurs passions. Ils peuvent choisir les beaux-arts, les affaires, l'athlétisme, le leadership, l'ingénierie, les domaines de la santé, les voyages internationaux et l'éducation de plein air, pour ne citer que quelques-unes des nombreuses voies proposées.
À WIC, nous cultivons et chérissons ce sentiment d'appartenance, facteur clé de notre bien-être en tant qu'individu. Nous cherchons à développer de nombreuses opportunités pour nos élèves afin qu’ils trouvent leur place au collège et qu’ils s’y épanouissent. Ce sont des atouts qui vont leur permettre d'aller de l'avant dans leur vie de jeune adulte.
À WIC, nous sommes fiers de faire partie du cercle des innovateurs et des entrepreneurs de Calgary. Nos élèves ont leur avenir en main. Nous sommes fiers de marcher à leurs côtés alors qu'ils découvrent et explorent les opportunités et les défis qui se présentent à eux. Je vous encourage à explorer notre site Web pour obtenir plus d'informations sur nos Instituts, nos langues, nos cultures internationales et nos programmes novateurs, qui ne représentent que quelques-uns des exemples uniques offerts à WIC.
Nous espérons que, comme nous, vous adopterez notre devise : « soyez audacieux, courageux et prêts ».
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