Private Schools in West Vancouver & Vancouver: Admissions Guide

For many families moving to West Vancouver or Vancouver, the school comes before the house. The independent schools here are excellent, and admission is competitive. The hardest part for newcomers is the calendar: applications often close nearly a year before the September a child would start. This guide covers how independent schools work in British Columbia, when and how to apply, and the leading schools on the North Shore and Vancouver’s west side, from each school’s own published information.

How independent schools work in BC

In British Columbia, private schools are called independent schools. The Province classifies them into four groups:

Group 1 schools receive a grant of 50% of the local school district’s per-student operating grant.
Group 2 schools receive 35%. They meet the same requirements as Group 1, but their per-student operating costs are higher than the district’s grant.
Groups 3 and 4 receive no provincial funding. Group 4 schools mainly enrol students from outside the province.

Most of the established day schools in this guide are members of the Independent Schools Association of BC (ISABC) and CAIS, the national association of independent schools. CAIS members commit to meeting national standards and to an ongoing school-improvement process. Schools that teach the International Baccalaureate are also authorized by the IB.

Unlike public schools, independent schools have no catchments. Your address doesn’t give you a place, and admission is by application. (If you’re considering public schools, the address is what decides it. Why school catchments matter when you buy)

The admissions calendar: apply nearly a year ahead

For a September start, most schools take applications the autumn before. For September 2027, for example:

St. George’s School’s day application deadline for Kindergarten, Grade 4 and Grades 6 to 11 is October 30, 2026.
Crofton House School’s application deadlines fall in November.
Mulgrave School’s deadline for ages four to Grade 11 is December 1, 2026.
Vancouver College’s deadline is December 1, 2026. Later applications go to a waiting list.

Assessments and interviews follow in January and February, and offers usually arrive in February or March. Open houses and tours run in September and October, so the time to start is the summer before you apply.

Entry points

Schools admit most students at a few main entry points, usually Kindergarten and Grade 8, with smaller intakes at other grades. In other grades they take students only when a place opens up. For example:

St. George’s lists Grade 8 as its largest intake (40 to 50 places) and Kindergarten next (36), with smaller intakes at other grades.
Vancouver College admits at Kindergarten, Grade 4, Grade 7 and, its largest, Grade 8.

If your child is between entry points, apply anyway and ask to be considered if a place opens.

Assessments and interviews

Expect some combination of:

school reports and a reference
an assessment, either the school’s own or, for older students, the SSAT (a standardized admissions test). St. George’s requires the SSAT for all Grade 9 to 11 applicants and for applicants from outside Canada and the United States.
a student interview and, often, a parent or family interview

Faith-based schools may also ask for a baptismal certificate or a reference from your place of worship.

West Vancouver

Collingwood School

Grades: JK to 12, gender-inclusive, day school, opened in September 1984. It describes itself as one of Canada’s largest gender-inclusive independent schools.
Campuses: the Junior School (JK to 7) is at 2605 Wentworth Avenue; the Senior School (8 to 12) is at 70 Morven Drive.
Academics: more than 20 Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The school says over 80% of students take at least one each year.

Mulgrave School

Grades: Pre-Kindergarten to 12, gender-inclusive, secular, day school.
Location: 2330 Cypress Bowl Lane.
Academics: an IB World School offering the International Baccalaureate curriculum from Pre-K to Grade 12. Mulgrave lists accreditation from the Council of International Schools, the IB, ISABC and CAIS.
Applications: for Preschool (age 3) through Grade 11.

North Vancouver

Brockton School

Grades: JK to 12, gender-inclusive, day school, at 3467 Duval Road.
Academics: Brockton says it is the only independent school in BC to offer all four International Baccalaureate programmes. It reports a 6:1 student-to-staff ratio.

Vancouver’s west side

St. George’s School

Grades: boys, Kindergarten to 12, founded in 1930. Day students at all grades, and boarding for Grades 8 to 12 in Harker Hall.
Campuses: the Junior School is at 3851 West 29th Avenue, and the Senior School at 4175 West 29th Avenue, in Dunbar.
For families moving from abroad: boarding applications have a priority review from September to December, then rolling admission while places remain.

Crofton House School

Grades: girls, JK to 12, day school, founded in 1898.
Location: 3200 West 41st Avenue.

York House School

Grades: girls, JK to 12, organized as the Little School, Junior School and Senior School. Founded in 1932 by a group of seven women, it opened that September with 17 students.
Location: 4176 Alexandra Street, in Shaughnessy.

Little Flower Academy

Grades: a Catholic high school for girls, Grades 8 to 12, with a STEAM program.
Location: 4195 Alexandra Street, in Shaughnessy.

Vancouver College

Grades: a Catholic school for boys, Kindergarten to 12, in the Edmund Rice and Christian Brothers tradition, since 1922.
Location: 5401 Hudson Street.

West Point Grey Academy

Grades: JK to 12, co-educational, day school.
Location: 4125 West 8th Avenue, on the Jericho Lands since 1996.

St. John’s School

Grades: JK to 12, all-gender, secular, day school, founded in 1986.
Location: 2215 West 10th Avenue, in Kitsilano.
Academics: an IB World School with the full continuum: the Primary Years Programme (JK to 5), Middle Years Programme (6 to 10) and Diploma Programme (11 and 12).

Stratford Hall

Grades: Kindergarten to 12, co-educational, founded in 2000.
Location: 3000 Commercial Drive, on Vancouver’s east side.
Academics: an IB World School.

Choosing, and where to live

Visit more than one school. The differences in culture matter more than rankings: single-sex or co-ed, IB or AP, faith-based or secular, large or small.
Plan the commute. West Vancouver families at west-side Vancouver schools cross the Lions Gate Bridge twice a day, and the reverse is true too. Collingwood and Mulgrave are both in West Vancouver, a short drive from the British Properties. British Properties neighbourhood guide
Time the move. If you’re relocating, apply to schools before you buy. An offer from a school often decides which side of the bridge you’ll live on.
Budget for more than tuition. Ask about one-time fees as well as annual tuition. Schools publish their fees and financial assistance on their admissions pages.

Questions people ask

When should we apply to a private school in Vancouver?

About a year ahead. For a September start, most deadlines fall between late October and early December of the year before.

Do private schools in Vancouver have catchments?

No. Admission is by application, so your address doesn’t give you a place. Public schools do have catchments.

Which grades are easiest to get into?

The main entry points, usually Kindergarten and Grade 8, have the most places. Other grades depend on openings.

Are there boarding schools in Vancouver?

Yes. St. George’s School offers boarding for boys in Grades 8 to 12.

Moving to West Vancouver or Vancouver for school? I’m happy to help you find a home that suits the school you choose. Request a private consultation

General information, current as of publication, from the Province of British Columbia and each school’s own published material. Deadlines, intakes and programs change every year; confirm details with each school’s admissions office.

Private schools in West Vancouver and Vancouver: a parent’s guide