Questions to Ask When Considering a School for Your Child

Choosing your child’s school is a deeply personal decision based on your family’s preferences and values. This section includes:

  • General advice to learn more about potential schools
  • Questions to consider asking all schools
  • Questions to consider asking for early years
  • Questions to consider asking independent schools

Questions for All Schools

  1. Does your school offer any curricular variations, such as gifted streams, French Immersion or International Baccalaureate, or speciality programs like enriched arts or athletics?
    • Which language(s) are part of your curriculum and which languages do you offer?
  2. How much homework can my child expect, by grade level?
  3. What is your school’s approach to conflict resolution/bullying?
  4. What is your school’s approach to discipline? What kinds of consequences do students face for acting out?
    • This question is an important one both in the context of your own child, and other children interacting with your child.
  5. What is your school’s approach to technology, including educational technology (laptops, iPads, smartboards, etc.) and cell phones/smartwatches for students’ use (including during non-classroom hours, like recess, lunch, and after-school programs)?
    • How does this change by age/grade?
    • Every province now has a policy related to cell phones and devices in school or class, which is likely the “bare minimum” of what your school will enforce.
  6. How does your school involve and communicate with parents?
    • Are parents kept informed on day-to-day lessons, and are they welcome to contact teachers?
    • Does your school facilitate any programs or events which build community amongst families?
    • Are parents welcome to visit or volunteer in the classroom?
    • Are parent volunteers welcome on school trips?
  7. Is my child welcome to share his/her own culture – like religious holidays – with his friends and teachers?
    • Is there a holiday concert or other seasonal events, and what can we expect those events to look like?
  8. What is your school’s approach to arts and athletics?
    • Are drama, music, and visual arts offered in every grade?
    • How many days per week will my child receive arts education and physical education classes?
    • What arts clubs and sports teams are offered?
  9. What is your school’s approach to extracurriculars/clubs?
    • What kinds of extracurriculars are offered?
    • Are there before-school and/or after-school programs, and do they cost money?
  10. What is your school’s approach to contentious or politically charged issues, like political causes, gender issues, Critical Race Theory, and climate change?
    • Are parents informed in advance or after the fact, if lessons or presentations will include contentious topics or politics?
  11. Does the school charge any fees for supplies, field trips, or anything else?
  12. Does your school accommodate gifted children, and/or children with exceptional needs or learning disabilities?
    • If my child has advanced beyond the curriculum in his/her grade, what is the school’s approach in working with my child to ensure he/she is challenged and engaged?
    • What additional resources, if any, are offered to children with exceptional needs or learning disabilities?
    • If my child is struggling in one or more subjects, what is the school’s approach in working with families to ensure my child’s success?
    • Are external supports required of families whose kids are struggling?

Questions for the Early Years

In the early years, research what specific age school becomes mandatory versus what age your child is able to start school. Some families skip Junior Kindergarten/Pre-Primary and wait until age five to start school, while others start preschool programs within independent/private schools at age three. Some families (especially kids with late birthdays) hold their child back a year, so they start school a calendar year older than their peers – if that is an option.

  1. How much physical activity and outdoor time can I expect my child to have each day, and how does this change by age/grade?
  2. At what age is formal instruction in reading and math introduced to children?
    • Some schools delay formal academic instruction for philosophical or pedagogical reasons.
    1. How does your school introduce the basics like reading and mathematics?
      • For example, schools may use phonics (the relationship between letters and sounds), a whole language approach (words as whole units in the context of surrounding text), or a balanced approach (a combination of the two). Similarly, there may be differences in math introduction based on number sense, patterns, and problem-solving. Other pedagogical approaches may include Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, Play-Based, and Traditional/teacher-led, among others.
    2. Are any meals included in my child’s tuition?
    3. Is my child allowed, or required, to nap during the school day?
    4. How does your school manage challenging drop-offs if children are upset?

Additional Questions for Independent Schools

Some of these questions may also be relevant for choice/specialty schools, or Catholic/separate schools operated by the provincial government/school boards.

  1. What is your school’s approach to curriculum/pedagogy, and how does this set your school apart from the local government-run school?
    • Does your school offer a differentiated approach for boys and girls (i.e. sex-separated education in any grades)?
    • Does your school use the provincial curriculum? What does your school use to supplement or enrich its lesson plans?
      • Some parents look for a curriculum employing the science of reading, with an early focus on phonics and comprehension, or the science of math, both incorporating explicit instruction. Some want a classical curriculum focused on the Great Books and liberal arts. Some families want a traditional curriculum which is teacher-led, while others want a progressive, student-led curriculum using experiential and inquiry-based methods. Some seek out Waldorf, Montessori, Reggio Emilia or Forest School curricula. Many families want religious education woven into daily lessons. These are just some of the many curricular approaches schools can offer. What is your school’s approach?
  1. Does your school offer any specific cultural or religious focus?
    • Will my child, from a differing cultural or religious background, be welcomed, and in what way?
  2. What is included in tuition, outside of the academic school day?
    • Are before- and after-school care included in the price of tuition?
    • Are school extracurriculars, clubs, and teams included?
    • Are any meals included?
      • Some Preschool and Junior Kindergarten/Pre-Primary programs offer lunch and snacks in independent/private schools, even if they are not covered by provincial government lunch programs.
  1. How much volunteering – if any – is expected of parents?
  2. Does your school have any specific health policies that differ from public schools?
  3. Does your school require uniforms?
    • How often are kids required to wear uniforms?
    • Do uniforms cost extra? How much can I expect the cost to be, per year? Is there a way to trade or purchase used uniforms?
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