The York School

” (3.5 stars) (written circa Nov 2023) (last edited Jan 14, 2025) I attended York from Grade 7-9. I’ll try to be thorough as possible, but I may miss a lot due to the character limit. I want to note that if you already know the universities you will apply to, CHECK THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROGRAM(S) YOU ARE APPLYING FOR. IB can tank your average and take a toll on your mental health if you aren’t prepared. Academics The Teaching ™ tl;dr high quality teaching. Exactly what you’d expect from a private school. All of the teachers are passionate about what they do, and the lessons are taught in a straightforward way that allows for participation and discussion. As well, there’s plenty of time for questions after lessons. For all Middle/Senior School students, I recommend learning the basics of WeVideo, Adobe Express, and Canva. ManageBac is used in the Senior School for tracking OSSD and CAS hours. Course options Course options are limited. For one, since York is an IB school, students have to take a language course (either Mandarin, French or Spanish). If you’re looking to take more specialized courses (ex. painting, tech design architecture, cooking), this isn’t the place for you. Workload Workload is intense, but that’s typical for IB. School Environment In my experience, the students here are quite competitive. People WILL share and compare grades. You may struggle if you aren’t the competitive type. Focus on improving yourself, and you’ll be ok. Mental health It’s likely that you will struggle with your mental health. In Grade 8, the school sent out a mental health survey, and 70% of the Senior School students said they weren’t doing well. Take care of yourself If you’re (suspected) neurodivergent, try to sort out IEPs/meds. It’ll help a lot Inclusion York’s DEI is a bit performative, but I’ve noticed they’ve been making efforts to do better. YOU MAY FACE SOME FORM OF DISCRIMINATION DURING YOUR TIME HERE AT YORK IF YOU ARE A MINORITY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE TRANS OR NEURODIVERGENT. The teachers generally try to be understanding, but the students may be less so – especially the older ones. I’d attribute this to a lack of education about these topics, a lack of willingness to learn about it and/or ignorance. GSA is gone. RIP Self advocacy will be vital during your time here. At least the school’s trying? Tips I highly recommend using all of the school’s resources, ESPECIALLY THE SOCIAL WORKERS AND LEARNING STRATEGISTS. They’re located in the Wellness Centre, on the first floor right next to the South Stairwell. In Grade 9, you will be assigned a university counselor. They will help you with course selections. If you already know what program you’re going to be taking in university, but don’t know what prerequisites you need, BOOK A MEETING WITH THE COUNSELOR. Emails are love, emails are life. Get good at writing them. (Good life skill in general!!) Check YorkNet on occasion: your report cards are on there (as well as Forms). Check the rubric when handing in major assignments. Some teachers will even give you a checklist at the end of the planning documents (for said assignments) that will show what is expected for the assignment. USE IT! Sometimes, when major assignments are assigned, the teacher will set aside class time to work on it. USE IT! All course materials and homework are on Blackboard. Take the time to look through the Blackboard tabs. Sometimes, the teachers put exam preparation guides on there. USE IT! Take advantage of the extra help sessions that the teachers offer. In the Middle School, you can go during a specific teacher’s allotted time slot(s), posted on Blackboard. In the Senior School, you can go when the teacher says they’re available, which is usually almost always. Double check with the teacher though. Participate! Participate in class, participate in clubs, participate in athletics, participate in everything (but prioritize your health and schoolwork. Burnout is bad!) And remember to try to have fun. This review may be a bit of a bummer, but I had a pretty okay time here. “

” this is a terrible school DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE “

” The York School is very well organised one. They exactly know how to give opportunities to their students and one in one personal consultation to bring out the best potential career choice. According to each student’s requirement the school provides everything possible according to their system. My daughter has graduated in 2020. She became more independent & found her interests . I am very thankful to the teachers, stuffs, advisers, Counselor & all. It’s a Top graded IB school in Torento . My daughter Shanjana Hossain graduated In 2020 . Currently she started her university in “The MCGILL University in Montreal. One of the top best university in the world. I am overwhelmed with her success. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks “

” The York School is committed to educating the ‘whole child’. Amazing teachers, strong academics, lots of activities including an inclusive athletic program, and a true dedication to creating a caring environment make this school a special place. When, after seven years, your child loves going to school every day, you know you have found an excellent school. “

” We have 2 kids who started in 2014 who love going to The York School. They provide the perfect balance between academics, athletics, community awareness and involvement. The teachers are supportive and enable the kids to succeed while challenging them to work independently. The athletics program is run superbly with an emphasis on building skills in the younger years through superior coaching and extra curricular options. The best decision we made was to send our kids to this school. “