Schools with a full GSGI review are noted with
By full GSGI review, we mean school write-ups that are completely selected, researched, visited and written by our own editors. Our final reviews take the good with the bad, warts and all, but we look for a preponderance of good before we drill down for in-depth details and descend on the school for an exhaustive visit. We are aware of the other schools on this page and we continually add or remove schools, as deemed appropriate.
Quebec Educational Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies; ages 5-17; girls; day; independent; private non-profit; 345 students
Charming old-fashioned name for this all-girls private, junior, middle and senior school, opened over a 110 years ago. Now a fully paid up member of the twenty-first century offering an Entrepreneurial Platform.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies; ages 5-17; boys; day; independent; private non-profit; 570 students
Originally based on a model, taken from the English private school system, with a large number of English teachers. Now less anglophone, teaching in French for the majority of classes in the elementary school.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ IB Diploma/ AP; ages 12-18; co-ed; day and boarding; independent; private non-profit; 260 students
Only 15 years short of its bicentenary celebrations, this Anglican secondary (majority boarding) school is the fifth oldest private school in Canada. Founded by the charmingly named Rev. Lucius Doolittle and often described as ‘Eton in Canada’, the school regularly sends graduates to leading British universities.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ SEN; ages 12-17; co-ed; day; independent; private non-profit; 240 students
The school states that over 90% of their students have a ‘learning challenge’ but that same percentage graduate, after five years, and move on to further education. Founded over 50 years ago and now offering an English and a French language sector.
Diploma College Studies; ages 17-19; co-ed; day; state; 2,700 students
Established in 1967 as one of the Quebec ‘interim’ colleges which bridge the gap between high school and university, offering both pre-university and career programmes. One of the few to teach in English.
Diploma College Studies; ages 17-19; co-ed; day; state; 11,000
One of only five English language CEGEP colleges in Quebec, opened in Westmount in 1969. The college teaches pre-university and career programmes in Creative and Applied Arts as well as practical and general studies.
Quebec Educational Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ Bilingual; ages 4-17; co-ed; day; state; 1,300 students
A bilingual school (larger number of French groups) run jointly by the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) and the Commission Scolaire de Montréal (CSDM). F.A.C.E. stands for Fine Arts Core Elementary and the students have additional arts courses.
Diploma College Studies; ages 17-19; co-ed; day and boarding; state; 7,400 students
Opened in early twentieth century buildings in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, in 1971, as one of the English language CEGEP pre-university or pre-career colleges in Quebec. Offering co-ed residential accommodation to full-time students.
Adapted curriculum/ Ontario Secondary School Diploma; ages 5-21; co-ed; day and boarding; independent; privately owned; 470 students
One of the relatively rare schools, in Montreal, to offer an all-through education from kindergarten to grade 12, including the OSSD which provides eligibility for both North American and European universities. Teaching in English, the school started as a tutorial service in 1978 and expanded downwards to include an elementary campus.
Quebec Educational Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies; ages 3-17; co-ed; day; independent; privately owned; 950 students
Operating in three separate buildings and providing education from pre-school to the high school diploma at 17. Opened in 1986, it is now the largest English private school in Quebec. A selective school from kindergarten onwards.
Quebec Educational Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ MYP/ IB Diploma; ages 5-18; co-ed; day; independent; private non-profit; 800 students
Established in 1909 (once boys only but co-educational since 1992) and now describing itself as a ‘global school’ with four separate divisions. Graduates head off to universities around the world and include seven Rhodes scholars and a Nobel Laureate.
Quebec Educational Programme/ Diploma of Educational Studies; ages 11-17; boys; independent; private non-profit; 750 students
A boys only Catholic school, with a compulsory Christian Service Programme (CSP). Opened at the end of the nineteenth century as the English section of a French Jesuit school. Impressive list of alumni including members of the top echelons of politics and the arts.
Diploma College Studies; ages 17-19; co-ed; day; state; 1,700 students
Founded at the beginning of the twentieth century as the only private, pre-university/work English-language college in Quebec, Taking in students from high schools all over Montreal.
Quebec Educational Programme; ages 5-12; co-ed; day; independent; private non-profit; 170 students
A small independent, elementary, school teaching students up to the end of grade 6. An English school but with a strong French-language programme founded in 1947
Quebec Educational Programme/ Bilingual; ages 5-12; co-ed; day; state; 600 students
A public elementary school in Westmount, opened in 1908 and operated by the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). Offering a bilingual English/French education with a French Immersion Programme available since 1968.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ French immersion; ages 5-17; day; state; 1,050 students
An over-subscribed, French Immersion school at elementary and high school level with graduates leaving with a bilingual certificate. Operated by the English Montreal School Board (EMSB).
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies; ages 12-17; co-ed; day; state; 850 students
An academically selective, tough to get into, public high school, describing itself as ‘an alternative school for high motivated academic students’.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ AP; ages 12-17; girls; day and boarding; independent; private non-profit; 250 students
Part of the global Sacred Heart network, this is the only all-girls English, Catholic high school in Montreal. Now 150 years old and one of the oldest schools in the city. Also offering Advanced Placement courses and an accelerated maths programme.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ AP/ Bilingual; ages 4-17; co-ed; day; independent; private non-profit; 450 students
The oldest non-denominational co-educational school in Montreal, founded in 1930. Offering a fully bilingual programme in elementary school and Advanced Placement courses in senior school. No boarding on site but with a family boarding programme for international students.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ AP; ages 12-19; co-ed; boarding; independent; private non-profit; 250 students
Located in Stanstead (Association of Most Beautiful Villages in Quebec), on the American boarder. A boarding high school founded by Wesleyan ministers in the early 1870’s but non-denominational since the 1980’s.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ Bilingual; ages 5-17; girls; day; independent; private non-profit; 400 students
Only eight women have led this all-girls school since its foundation in 1915, and located on its current site in Westmount since 1960. Offering a mother-tongue bilingual programme and numbering a large number of successful women amongst its alumnae.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies; ages 12-17; girls; independent; private non-profit; 200 students
A small high school, opened in 1887 in the middle of downtown Montreal, making it the oldest private anglophone girls’ school in the city. On the move to a new site, close to McGill University after selling their desirable ‘Golden Square Mile’ building in 2019.
Adapted/ SEN; ages 7-16; co-ed; day; independent; private non-profit; 320 students
An elementary and high school based on one campus, offering an education for students with severe learning disabilities as well as services to the community.
Diploma College Studies; ages 17-19; co-ed; day; state; 6,470 students
One of the five English-language public pre-university/work colleges in Quebec, situated in the Saint-Laurent borough. Offering an option of a two year pre-university programme or three year technical courses.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies/ Bilingual; ages 12-17; girls; day; independent; private non-profit; 1,400 students
A girls’ high school with an English and French division, located around a former residence of the Governor General of Canada. The Palladian-style house was bought by Catholic nuns in 1854 as a bilingual boarding school for girls but has since closed its elementary school and no longer offers boarding.
Quebec Education Programme/ Diploma of Education Studies; ages 4-17; co-ed; day; independent; private non-profit; 430 students
This member of the West Island Schools runs a French and English school on the same campus. The other two divisions include the option of a co-educational sailing programme together with gaining high school credits, whilst living on a tall ship, as well as a separate school in Calgary.
Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index
Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.
Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons.
We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2024 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.
At specialist music, dance or performing arts schools, the arts aren't optional extras. They’re intrinsic to the school curriculum. Students are expected to fit in high level training and hours of practice alongside a full academic provision.