Havergal College is a leading independent school for girls (JK to 12) in Toronto dedicated to excellence in education, character development and community engagement. With a focus on empowering students to lead lives of purpose and impact, the school combines tradition with innovation to prepare its students to make a positive difference in a rapidly changing world. Situated on a beautiful 22-acre campus, Havergal offers a distinctive educational journey shaped by innovation, wellbeing and community.
Founded in 1894, Havergal is one of the oldest girls' schools in Canada, and it shares a tradition with those of its vintage. The school was formed with a strong tie to a religious community though, even then, was looking beyond tradition, charting new territory, as it were, for girls to occupy. As such, the school was disruptive, educating girls to take new, more robust roles within society. Famously the first principal, Ellen Mary Knox, asked her students "What are you going to do?" She meant it very much in the way we'd think of that question today: you've got an opportunity to do something, to play a role, what is it going to be? Knox was emblematic of the kinds of women who were leading schools at the time. In turn, they played a larger role in the development of education in Canada than their male counterparts did. All of this is important in that it really does underwrite the goals of the school today: to challenge girls, and to be socially disruptive in the best sense of that term. It's easy for us to look back and see that girls' schools were necessary all those years ago. What Havergal continues to demonstrate—as other schools that operate with the same goals and intentions—is that they remain necessary today.
From the review: Founded in 1894, Havergal is one of the oldest girls' schools in Canada, and it shares a tradition with those of its vintage. The school was formed with a strong tie to a religious community—though, even then, it was looking beyond tradition, charting new territory for girls to occupy. As such, the school was disruptive, educating girls to take new, more robust roles within society. Famously, the first principal, Ellen Mary Knox, asked her students, "What are you going to
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We welcome families to register for our Grade 7 Open House, which they can do on our Virtual Admission Centre.
We welcome families to register for our Grade 9 Open House, which they can do on our Virtual Admission Centre.
We welcome families to register for our Junior School (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6) Open House, which they can do on our Virtual Admission Centre.
Day School: Deadline for Day Applications for entry in September 2026 is December 1, 2025. Please ensure all required paperwork is submitted by the deadline. Note: Any applications received after the deadline may not be considered and may be moved forward for consideration for entry in September 2027. Please contact the Admission Office ([email protected]) if you have any questions.
Boarding School: Applications for the Boarding School are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications received by December 1, 2025 will have priority.
Financial Support Applications must be submitted by January 2, 2026 for new and returning students.
Focus |
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Academic |
DIBELS Testing: This school does not use DIBELS testing to assess reading progress.
Subject | offered |
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Evolution as consensus theory | |
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories | |
Evolution is not taught |
Subject | offered |
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Biology | |
Chemistry | |
Ecology | |
Geology | |
Meteorology | |
Physics | |
Physiology | |
Zoology |
Subject | offered |
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Canadian lit | |
American lit | |
European (continental) lit | |
World (non-Western) lit | |
English lit | |
Ancient lit |
Subject | offered |
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Chinese-Cantonese | |
Chinese-Mandarin | |
French | |
German | |
Greek | |
Italian | |
Japanese | |
Hebrew | |
Latin | |
Russian | |
Spanish | |
ESL |
Subject | offered |
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Acting | |
Dance | |
Drama/Theatre | |
Graphic Design | |
Music | |
Visual Arts |
Expressive | |
Disciplined |
Subject | offered |
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Computer science | |
Robotics | |
Web design |
Flexible pacing style | offered |
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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 |
Havergal College offers no/limited support for students with learning difficulties or special needs.
Subject Ttype | offered |
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Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation | |
Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties |
Subject Ttype | offered |
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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 |
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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) |
In grade Gr. 12, Havergal College students perform an average of 2 hours of homework per night.
JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Havergal College | 0 mins | 0 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 90 mins | 90 mins | 120 mins | 120 mins | 120 mins | 120 mins |
Site Average | 6 mins | 7 mins | 14 mins | 17 mins | 23 mins | 28 mins | 33 mins | 39 mins | 51 mins | 55 mins | 69 mins | 80 mins | 97 mins | 104 mins |
This school frequently "flips the classroom": asks students to learn material at home and do the "homework" in-class (with teacher support).
Lettered or numbered grades | JK to Gr. 12 |
Prose (narrative)-based feedback | JK to Gr. 12 |
Habits and behaviour reporting | JK to Gr. 12 |
Parent-teacher meetings | JK to Gr. 12 |
Competitive sports: 22
Recreational sports: 5
Havergal College offers 23 clubs and extracurricular programs.
JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
Day | $43,600 | |||||||||||||
Boarding (Domestic) | $79,700 | |||||||||||||
Boarding (International) | $83,700 |
Grade range that need-based aid is offered: | 7 to 12 |
Percentage of grade-eligible students receiving financial aid | 7% |
Average aid package size | $16,000 |
Percentage of total enrolment on financial aid | 10% |
Total aid available | $900,000 |
This school works with Apple Financial Inc. for processing financial applications
Visit https://www.havergal.on.ca/how-to-apply/ to learn more or contact Admissions at [email protected].
This scholarship was established in 1991 by Donald Hunter, father of former Boarder Kate (Class of 1993), the Donald F. Hunter Charitable Foundation Bursary is used to support a Canadian citizen or resident who applies to Havergal’s Boarding program and meets all other admission criteria. The student must have a strong academic record and is expected to make a positive contribution to the Boarding School. This scholarship is renewable each year based on the student’s commitment to upholding the Havergal values.
The Donald Hunter Board Scholarship is valued at $5,000 and will be applied to the first tuition payment. All Boarding applicants will be considered for this scholarship; no application is required.
For more details, visit:www.havergal.on.ca/admission/entrance-scholarships/The Frances Ridley House Scholarship was established in 2001 by Margaret McCain (Class of 1951), Old Girl, past Board member and grandmother of several Havergal students. This entrance scholarship is presented to an academically talented student entering Grade 7, who has contributed greatly to her previous school(s) and community, and who is expected to be an asset to Francis Ridley House.
To honour the importance of our House system in building community, four additional House Scholarships have been funded by Havergal and are available to students entering Grade 7.
Five House Scholarships valued at $5,000, non-renewable, which will be applied to the new student registration fee at the time of enrolment. All applicants to Grade 7 will be considered for one of these scholarships, no application is required.
For more details, visit:https://www.havergal.on.ca/tuition/#h-entrance-scholarshipsThe Havergal Community Builder Scholarship is designed for the academically talented student who contributes to their school, neighbourhood or other local or international organization through involvement in programs that are meaningful to them. Aware of the importance of community, the recipient will live the Havergal values of integrity, inquiry, compassion and courage. They have demonstrated leadership, formally or informally, in a way that is inclusive and kind.
Scholarship valued at $25,000 in year one ($15,000 + reg fee of $9,500 + $500 for Green & Gold purchases). $15,000 is renewable each year based on the student’s commitment to upholding the Havergal values.
Requirements: Interested students must complete the Havergal Scholarship application portion of the admission application and provide a reference letter from a teacher, Principal, Guidance Counsellor, coach or community leader.
For more details, visit:https://www.havergal.on.ca/tuition/#h-entrance-scholarshipsThe Legacy Boarding Scholarship will be awarded to a student who is applying to Boarding and has a family legacy at Havergal – mother, grandmother or great-grandmother. Havergal’s Old Girls/Alums are a special group of women who know the power of a Havergal education and the importance of making a difference. The recipient of this scholarship will have demonstrated their commitment to their education and to giving back to others, and will work to support the special community our Boarding School provides.
This scholarship is valued at $25,000 in year one ($15,000 + registration fee of $9,500 + $500 for Green & Gold purchases). $15,000 is renewable each year based on the student’s commitment to upholding the Havergal values.
Requirements: Interested students must complete the Havergal Scholarship application portion of the admission application and provide a reference letter from an Old Girl/Alum.
For more details, visit:https://www.havergal.on.ca/tuition/#h-entrance-scholarshipsEstablished in 2001 by James and Louise Temerty, parents of Leah (Class of 1998), this scholarship is intended to honour a student entering Havergal, preferably from Ukraine or another Eastern European country. The scholarship may be made available to all other Boarding and Day students should there not be a qualifying student from Ukraine or Eastern Europe. The scholarship may be extended to the same student each year until they graduate or leave the school.
This scholarship is valued at $5,000 and will be applied to the first tuition payment. All Boarding applicants will be considered for this scholarship; no application is required.
For more details, visit:www.havergal.on.ca/admission/entrance-scholarships/The Havergal Difference Maker scholarship was made possible by the Class of 2021, who along with Havergal College, are committed to enacting positive change and ensuring Havergal is an inclusive community where everyone feels welcome and valued. This scholarship is awarded to a student who supports this vision and, through their engagement within their own school, community, or volunteer position, has strived to make a difference in their own right. The Class of 2021 recognizes the limited access the BIPOC community has historically had to a Havergal education and priority will be given to candidates from identities currently underrepresented at Havergal.
This scholarship is valued at $25,000 in year one ($15,000 + registration fee of $9,500 + $500 for Green & Gold purchases). $15,000 is renewable each year based on the student’s commitment to upholding the Havergal values.
Requirements: Interested students must complete the Havergal Scholarship application portion of the admission application and provide a reference letter from a teacher, Principal, Guidance Counsellor, coach or community leader.
For more details, visit:https://www.havergal.on.ca/tuition/#h-entrance-scholarshipsGrades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | JK to Gr. 12 | All girls | Day | 1000 |
Group 2 | Gr. 9 to Gr. 12 | All girls | Boarding | 50 |
Total enrolment | 1,050 |
Average class size | 18 to 22 |
% of international students (total enrolment) | N/A |
Number of different nationalities within student population | N/A |
Five-day boarding program offered | No |
% in boarding (grade-eligible) | 24% |
JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Enrollment | 20 | N/A | 16 | N/A | 4 | 10 | 20 | 14 | 40 | N/A | 25 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Boarding Enrollment | 8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
Class Size | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
Assessment | Required | Grades |
---|---|---|
Interview | JK - 12 | |
SSAT | ||
SSAT (out of province) | 9 - 12 | |
Entrance Exam(s) | JK - 12 | |
Entrance Essay | 7 - 12 |
Day students: December 01, 2024
Boarding students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry: No
Application fee: $250
Registration fee: $9,500
Deposit: N/A
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 | JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 14 - 18 (30%) | 0 | 14 - 16 (30%) | 0 | 4 - 6 (30%) | 3 - 5 (30%) | 20 (30%) | 0 - 2 (10%) | 50 (25%) | 0 | 20 (25%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Boarding Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 6 - 8 (25%) | 5 - 7 (25%) | 3 - 5 (25%) | 0 |
Average graduating class size | 123 |
Students accepted into post-secondary studies upon graduation | N/A |
Percentage of students who attend post-secondary institutions outside of Canada | N/A |
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) | 100 |
Queen's University | 33% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McGill University | 10% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University of Toronto | 10% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western University | 10% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University of Waterloo | 6% |
Havergal College Graduates’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Aggregate of All Schools’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Career planning | |
Internships | N/A |
Mentorship Program | N/A |
University counseling |
What Havergal College says:
Alumnus | Grad Year | Accomplishment |
---|---|---|
Alexandrine Gibb | 1908 | Professional female basketball player, manager of the Canadian Women’s Olympic team in 1928, sports reporter and assistant sports editor for the Toronto Daily Star. |
Nena Sedgwick Marsden | 1943 | Founder of the Georgina Historical Society, has worked to preserve historical icons in Georgina, Ontario for 40+ years. Nena received the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario’s Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement. |
Marcia Lamont Scott | 1943 | The first woman graduate in civil engineering in the province of Ontario. |
Betty Jean Ingraham Bankes | 1945 | In Canada, Europe and the U.S., she has been involved in camp experiences for inner-city children, accessibility for disabled individuals in their communities and various United Nations initiatives. |
Elizabeth Mason | 1945 | Donated +23 acres of land on Chief’s Island to The Muskoka Conservancy to create the Campbell-Mason Nature Reserve, ensuring that the property will remain in its natural state forever. |
Teresa Woods Snelgrove | 1964 | Co-founder of Timothy’s World Coffee (1975), she changed the way in which people consume coffee. Her current company ProFitHR provides skills assessment tools for both employment and professional school admissions. |
Rosemarie Tovell | 1965 | The first woman curator of the Canadian Prints and Drawings Collection at the National Gallery of Canada. Also an author who received the Ewell L. Newman Book Award. |
Paula Cox | 1976 | Premier of Bermuda from 2010 to 2012. |
Carol Welsman | 1978 | An internationally acclaimed jazz singer and pianist and six-time Juno Award nominee (winning Best Female Vocalist at the 1996 National Jazz Awards). |
Linda Frum | 1981 | The Honourable Linda Frum is the first Havergal graduate to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. She is also a distinguished Canadian journalist, author and philanthropist. |
Pauline Chan | 1983 | Acclaimed reporter and anchor at CTV Toronto. Pauline was awarded a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for her service to the community. |
Gillian Deacon | 1984 | Bestselling author and an award-winning broadcaster and journalist. She is also the host of Here and Now on CBC Radio ONE. |
Maryam Sanati | 1988 | Former editor-in-chief of Chatelaine magazine. For more than 18 years, she has held numerous senior editorial positions at The Globe and Mail and Report on Business Magazine. |
Gillian Apps | 2001 | Olympic Winter Games gold medal winner in 2006, 2010 and 2014 on the Canadian Women's Hockey Team. |
Gillian Hawker | 1978 | Physician-in-Chief of the Department of Medicine at Women's College Hospital |
Christine Lay | 1981 | One of Canada's only board-certified physicians in Headache Medicine and the Director of the Headache Clinic at Women’s College Hospital. |
Roslyn MacLeod McMann | 1995 | Member of the 2004 Canadian Olympic Rowing team |
Alexandra Orlando | 2005 | Member of the 2008 Canadian Women's Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics Team |
Sarah Pape | 1990 | Member of the 2004 Canadian Women's Olympic Rowing Team |
Jennifer Provan | 1997 | Member of the 2004 and 2008 Canadian Women's Olympic Sailing Team |
Sarah Richardson | 1989 | Designer and Media Personality |
Dr. Martha Jane Poulson | 1970 | Canada’s first blind physician |
Dora Mavor Moore | 1899 | Canadian actor, teacher and director and the pioneer of Canadian theatre. She was honoured with the Order of Canada in 1970 for her contributions to theatre in Canada. |
Suzanne Ma | 2002 | Author of "Meet Me in Venice" (2015) |
Alumni Highlights
For over 100 years, Havergal College has provided young women with an exceptional education in an environment that encourages both inquiry and curiosity, and celebrates community. In 1894, Havergal’s founding principal, Ellen Knox, defined the school’s mission with the question she posed to her students -- “What will you do?”
That question continues to guide Havergal and its students through the challenges that come from a constantly changing world. Its influence is evident in our students and graduates to this day: women making a difference for good in the world by living their lives with purpose and as involved citizens.
I encourage you to visit our beautiful 22-acre campus, to tour both our heritage and contemporary buildings and to speak with our faculty and students to see, first-hand, the benefits of a Havergal education.
June 7, 2021
Havergal Announces Our New Principal
Havergal’s Board of Governors announce the appointment of our new Principal, Dr. Katrina Samson.
Read full article
July 30, 2019
125 Years of Inspiration
It is an exciting time at Havergal as 2019 marks the school’s milestone 125th anniversary!
Read full article
July 30, 2019
Founders' Day 2019: Celebrating 125 Years of Excellence
On April 25, 2019, Havergal celebrated a special Founders’ Day in honour of our 125th anniversary at St. Paul’s Bloor Street church.
Read full article
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