St. Andrew's College

St. Andrew’s has been educating young men since 1899, and true to our mission statement, we are “Dedicated to developing the complete man, the well-rounded citizen.” We pride ourselves on our outstanding teachers, first-rate facilities, beautiful grounds, and programs that prepare boys to go out in the world and make a difference.

As you will discover, St. Andrew’s is not an ordinary place. We strive to nurture and develop creative boys who can perform above and beyond conventional standards. As a boarding school comprised of 260 students from 30-plus countries and approximately 360 day students, we form an international community of Andreans that flourishes in its diversity. This brotherhood of boys believes in and supports one another in a community that believes in and supports them.

Our curriculum is designed to encourage students to become the best they can be academically, artistically, and athletically. Robust academic programming is guided by four areas of focus: boy-friendly instructional strategies, collaboration and teamwork, the development of critical-thinking skills, and the promotion of a growth mindset. Academics are balanced with a broad variety of co-curricular activities, leadership opportunities, educational trips, and weekend programs.

A student who arrives on campus in grade 5 can’t even begin to envision his inner potential, but he will certainly discover it during his time here. He could never imagine that he might be capable of scoring the winning try in a rugby game, performing on stage in a student play, and leading the Pipes & Drums – all within a 24-hour period. And yet we have seen boys achieve the unimaginable, time and time again.

St. Andrew's facilities are second to none. The Not An Ordinary Place Campaign ran for eight years - 2007-2015 - and added $42-million in improvements to our facilities. It was the most successful and ambitious campaign in the College's history. The three phases included: 1) the Yuill Family Athletic Complex with an all-weather synthetic turf field, baseball diamond, and outdoor, six-lane rubber track; 2) the La Brier Family Arena, which houses an NHL-sized ice surface and 6,000 sq. ft. weight training facility; renovated kitchen and servery in Cole Hall; the Wirth Theatre, complete with a thrust stage; and 3) the Centre for Leadership, Innovation & Performance, which focuses on music, business, entrepreneurship, leadership, and engineering.

St. Andrew's College has a long and fascinating history, beginning September 10, 1899, the first day of the School. Founded as a residential and day school in Chestnut Park in Toronto by Rev. Dr. George Bruce, the School’s first Headmaster, the School admitted approximately 50 boys, 15 of whom were boarders. Five masters took the academic reins, and the boys were divided into four classes. Owing to Dr. Bruce’s ill-health, he was succeeded by Dr. D. Bruce Macdonald, who went on to become the longest-serving Headmaster (1900 to 1935). In 1905, the School moved to a newly-built campus in Rosedale. That same year, the Highland Cadet Corps was established; its highest ranking student was Vincent Massey, who later became the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada. The Pipes & Drums became part of the Cadet program in 1915. The School sojourned briefly at Knox College from 1918-1920 when Rosedale was used as a military hospital. Six hundred Old Boys served during the First World War, and 104 were killed in action.

This vibrant community of more than 160 students experiences daily life in Rogers Hall. The Academic program in the Middle School allows our students to gain knowledge, skills, and confidence as they approach the Upper School. Faculty are well-versed in teaching techniques that engage the attention of young boys, such as activity-based learning, humour, group projects, and an element of competition in the classroom, thereby bringing learning to life for their students. Their teaching practices are geared toward recognizing the unique emotional, intellectual, and developmental needs of this pre-adolescent age group. Boys who may have been underachieving in their previous schools often unearth a passion for learning that they never knew they possessed.