Schools in Toronto: public boards, private schools and the IB

Toronto doesn't have a British-curriculum school, but most British families don't miss one. The free public schools are good, and the private schools rank among the priciest in Canada.

The short version

• Children of parents with a Canadian work or study permit, or who are permanent residents, can usually go to a public school without their own study permit [1].
• Ontario's school runs from junior kindergarten at age four to Grade 12, ending in the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
• We found no school in Toronto teaching the English National Curriculum, GCSEs or A levels. The international options are the IB and the French and German schools.
• Top private day schools charge roughly CAD 45,000 (about £24,000) a year and up, with boarding nearer CAD 90,000 (about £48,000) [2].
• Children who grow up in Canada usually pay international fees at UK universities, so plan early if they might go home to study.

How Ontario schooling works

The FCDO notes that each Canadian province runs its own education system, and that children must go to school or be home-schooled, from as young as four up to 18 depending on the province [3]. In Ontario:

The school year runs from early September to late June, with a two-week break over Christmas and a week in March. There are no GCSEs at 16. Students build up credits through high school towards the OSSD, and university offers are based on their Grade 12 marks.

Expect your child to be put in a year by age, which may shift them up or down a year compared with England. Ontario's cut-off is the calendar year of birth, not 1 September.

Public schools: free for most newcomers

Toronto has four publicly funded school boards:

• Toronto District School Board (TDSB): the main English-language board, and Canada's largest.
• Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB): publicly funded Catholic schools, open mainly to Catholic families.
• Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir: French-language boards for children with a right to French schooling.

Your address decides your local school, so check the catchment before you sign a lease. The TDSB also runs French Immersion, where English-speaking children learn mostly in French from an early age, plus specialist arts, sport and gifted programmes.

Does my child need a study permit?

IRCC's rules on minor children decide this, and school boards use the same table to decide whether fees apply [1]:

• Parent is a permanent resident or Canadian citizen: no study permit needed.
• Child is already in Canada with a parent who has a work or study permit: no study permit needed, though IRCC recommends getting one.
• Parent is in Canada as a visitor, without a work or study permit: the child needs a study permit, and the school will usually charge international student fees.

IRCC also says minor children coming to Canada with a parent who is applying for a work or study permit should apply for their own study permit before they enter, and in that case no letter of acceptance is needed [1]. In practice, sort the children's paperwork at the same time as your own. A study permit can help them stay in school if they turn 18 before finishing, and some provinces link social services to it [1].

When you register, the school will want proof of address (a lease is fine), the child's passport and your immigration documents, plus vaccination records. Ontario takes immunisations seriously, so bring the red book or your GP's printout.

Private and international schools

Toronto has a large independent sector, from historic single-sex schools to small Montessori nurseries. Fees below are as listed by the Our Kids school directory in 2026, for the lowest and highest grades, with the top figure usually including boarding [2]. Check the school's own fee page for the current year.

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = CAD 1.89) [5].

A few things to know:

• The IB is the closest thing to "international". Branksome Hall, Upper Canada College and TFS are well known for the International Baccalaureate, which UK universities understand well. Ask each school which IB programmes it runs and at which grades.
• Entry points are competitive. The big schools take most pupils at a few set entry years, with applications usually closing in the autumn or winter for the following September. Expect entrance tests and interviews, so start a year ahead if you can.
• Budget beyond tuition. Uniforms, trips, laptops, buses and, at some schools, a one-off entrance fee or capital levy all add up.
• Bursaries exist at most of the large schools, usually means-tested.

Thinking ahead to UK universities

This is the bit British parents often miss. Whether your child pays "home" fees and gets student finance in the UK depends on where they've lived, not their passport. GOV.UK says eligibility depends on factors including your nationality or residency status [4]. In broad terms, students usually need to have lived in the UK (or in some cases the EEA or Switzerland) for the three years before their course starts. Children who've grown up in Toronto usually don't meet that, unless the family was only temporarily abroad, for example on a work posting.

Without home status, your child pays international fees, which at many UK universities cost several times more than home fees. If a return to the UK for university is likely:

1. Keep evidence of UK ties if your stay in Canada is genuinely temporary, such as a UK home, a posting letter or a planned return date.
2. Pick a qualification UK universities know well. Most publish entry requirements for the OSSD, and the IB Diploma is understood everywhere.
3. Apply through UCAS as normal, from abroad. The school's guidance counsellor writes the reference.
4. Compare with Canadian universities. Once you're permanent residents, your children pay domestic fees in Canada, which may be the cheaper path.

Our guide to UK student loans while living abroad covers what happens if older children already have a UK loan. If your children were born in Canada, see registering a child born abroad and British citizenship by descent, because that decides whether their own children will be British.

For honest reviews of local schools and which neighbourhoods families pick, ask other parents in our community group for Brits in Canada.

Sources

1. IRCC (Canada.ca): Studying in Canada as a minor
2. Our Kids: Toronto's most expensive private schools, ranked by tuition (page © 2026)
3. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Canada (last updated 11 December 2025)
4. GOV.UK: Student finance for undergraduates – eligibility
5. Bank of England: daily spot exchange rates

Keep reading

• Renting in Toronto
• Cost of living in Toronto vs London and the UK average
• Moving to Toronto as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Registering a child born abroad and British citizenship by descent