Shambhala School

The Shambhala School offers an inclusive, age appropriate approach to education that integrates arts and academics to ignite a genuine passion for learning. Our unique curriculum inspires students to grow into confident, creative thinkers with a strong sense of social and environmental awareness.

It is our experience that nearly 100% of our graduates get into a university or other post-secondary program of their choice. Many Shambhala alumni proceed to successful careers as scientists, musicians, lawyers, artists, business leaders and more. Founded in 1993, the Shambhala School has developed a fully accredited curriculum from Pre-Primary through Grade 12.

Shambhala school students learn from an early age to engage in their own learning process. The imaginative play and beauty of the Pre-Primary, Primary and their Elementary years evolves into an experience of meeting our wonderful and complex world with compassion and hope. This foundation leads to a rich academic high school experience that supports young adults in realizing their full potential as students, people and members of the community.

n addition to imparting knowledge, the school’s intention is to foster in children a sense of reverence and respect for life. The close relationships between students and teachers enhance learning and the ability to explore new interests and take on new challenges. Students are engaged in a learning experience both artistic and academically challenging.

Shambhala offers a learning method that strives to meet the physical, emotional, and intellectual dimensions of the developing child. Our School integrates artistic and physical activities throughout the curriculum, providing a balanced and well-rounded education. While the Shambhala School shares the same name as Shambhala International, we are separate organizations legally and financially. Our school has its own Board of Directors.

School faculty work closely with students and parents to ensure that each child has the opportunity for significant and meaningful involvement in the learning process and the social environment of the school. Class sizes generally range from 12 – 20 students, allowing for individual attention and hands on learning, both in classes and through field trips. A wide range of subjects is offered at all grade levels.

Treasuring the magic and openness of childhood, Elementary students’ mastery of academic skills is nestled in a friendly, supportive environment in which both academics and personal growth are woven together into a fully integrated whole. Students experience knowledge as a natural part of their lives and develop a foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

Junior High and High School students experience the challenge of a high quality academic curriculum within an intimate and safe environment. Students and teachers develop a close working relationship in which exploration and discovery is a common journey. The Shambhala School maintains a high academic standard that meets and exceeds Nova Scotia Department of Education requirements and held its first grade 12 commencement in 1998. Since that time, students have attended a wide variety of universities all over the world.

Imagine a world where your child is excited to go to school in the morning. She bounds up the front steps and an older student smiles, greets her by name and holds the door for her. When she enters the classroom, her teacher pauses, looks her in the eye, checks in and says good morning. Her classroom is a delight to the senses and you wonder why every classroom doesn’t look like this. You experience the light in your child that comes from the assurance that they have everything they need.

This confidence arises from a culture of kindness, compassion and awareness. The faculty embodies and models these noble qualities of leadership and uses the language of bravery, compassion and wisdom in their daily journey of discovery. Shambhala School was founded in 1993 by teachers and parents to inspire genuine delight in learning and to guide students to their full potential through the development of intellect, intuition, humanity and self-confidence.

With approximately 140 students, Shambhala School offers an enriched curriculum in Grades Pre-Primary through 12. As the school continues on a path of steady growth, it does not waiver from the commitment to small, intimate classes that allow for significant one-on-one interaction between student and teacher. By keeping class sizes small, the school provides a safe and friendly environment where students and their families form an integral part of a community.

The Shambhala School is a premier environment for international students to develop their language skills within the cultural richness of the Maritimes. The rich experience-based learning, small classrooms, outdoor experiences, the leadership and sustainability curriculum, the personal empowerment of the arts are all part of what we call transformative learning.

A Shambhala School education goes beyond a high-quality academic program. It is hands-on training in the new emerging economies of sustainable energy and environmental stewardship. Leadership training is a contemplative practice of developing confidence and emotional resilience. The techniques used are mindfulness practices, group training, modern teaching in psychology and sociology, and retreats at various rural facilities like Windhorse Farm, Camp Mockingee and Nova Scotia’s beautiful outdoor wilderness at Kejimikujik National Park and Cape Chignecto Provincial Park.

The Shambhala School and the International Language Institute (ILI) have a joint program where high school students can enroll at ILI for an ESL program to achieve english language standing, and then move on to the Shambhala School to practice and deepen that language in a rich cultural context.

A Shambhala School education is based on the premise that all cultures and races share an unconditional basic goodness at their heart. The school is a model for bringing the diversity of the world under one roof and creating a miniature society where strengths and differences are celebrated as enriching the whole. This is the place where the values of all the world’s wisdom traditions can flourish in a contemporary and relevant curriculum training a genuine and heartfelt new generation of leaders.