private

Fern Hill School

Oakville, Ontario

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At a glance

Grades: Preschool – 8
Board: Independent

Tuition & admissions

Tuition: $11,742 /year
Application fee: $300, required prior to assessment.
Enrolment fee: $3,000 per student, a one-time, non-refundable New Student Registration Fee submitted with the completed registration form to secure the assigned space.

Admissions process

Currently accepting applications for the 2027–2028 school year. Applications begin in October of the year before entry; contact Admissions for an Application Package. · A $300 application fee is required before assessment. · Preschool, JK and SK applicants complete in-person Interactive Readiness Assessments covering age-appropriate social interaction, behavioural development and academic readiness. Preschool children must be fully toilet-trained before September begins. · Grades 1–4 applicants take written Language and Mathematics tests. Strong reading skills are required for Grade 1 entry. · Grades 5–8 applicants take written tests in Reading Comprehension, Spelling, Sentence Structure, Grammar and Mathematics, plus a personal interview. · JK–Grade 8 applicants must arrange for their current school to email the applicable Early Years Observation Report or Confidential School Report directly to Fern Hill. · Rolling admission and mid-year transfers may be available depending on space and waiting lists. Qualified applicants may be waitlisted. Offers are confirmed as spaces become available following current-family re-enrolment in early February. · To secure a place, accept by the offer deadline and submit the New Student Registration Agreement and registration fee; tuition payments follow. · International students in Grades 1–8 must have a valid Student Visa or Permanent Resident Card and live locally with a family member.

Academics & learning

Curriculum: Enriched academic programme using specialist subject teachers and a high-school-style timetable. Core academics are supplemented by arts, French, field studies and broad experiential learning. Field Studies forms part of the weekly curriculum.

Tuition & financial aid details

Included: Textbooks, notebooks, school field trips and most activities.
Transportation: Door-to-door return-trip bus service is priced separately from tuition.
Excluded trips and activities: Typically activities involving overnight accommodation or extensive travel, including ski trips, Grades 5–8 overnight Outdoor Education Camp, Grade 7 Quebec Trip, Grade 8 Outdoor Education Camp and University Science Camp, and Round Square international trips.
Capital costs: Parents are not asked or expected to contribute to capital costs or expansion plans.

Course descriptions

Drama

Develops confidence, creativity, empathy and collaboration through role play, classroom performances and staged productions. Grades 1–3 perform a Christmas play; Grades 4–8 stage a fully scripted and costumed spring musical.

Field Studies

Begins in Preschool with nature-based play and investigation. Older students participate in habitat restoration, bird banding, species monitoring and Citizen Science projects, developing observation, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

French

Bilingual French teachers build vocabulary and speaking confidence through singing, dancing, acting, writing, reading and drawing. The youngest students have daily language classes, and Wednesday Morning Assembly is conducted in French.

View course information on the school website

School images

School videos

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Learning programs

Specializations

Dramatic arts · Environmental field studies and conservation · French language development

Languages

English · French for French classes and Wednesday Morning Assembly

Learning support

English as a Second Language instruction is not offered. International applicants must be verbally fluent in English for JK and fluent in written and spoken English for SK–Grade 8.

Student life

Arts

Drama taught by professional performers, with frequent performance opportunities during extended morning assemblies. · Grades 1–3 Christmas play and Grades 4–8 spring musical at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. · Visual arts taught by studio artists. · Music.

Facilities

30-acre Burlington campus with forest, stream, marsh and meadow. · Fully functioning on-site bird-banding laboratory. · Eastern Bluebird nesting boxes, Monarch butterfly way station and native species garden.

Clubs & extracurricular activities

Drama, music and athletics: The school identifies these as core learning areas and gives school musicals, choir performances and inter-school athletics as examples.
Chess and campus activities: The official site lists events such as an annual chess tournament; clubs and activity schedules may change from year to year.

Outdoor activities & education

Oakville campus outdoor setting and skiing: The Oakville campus page describes its outdoor learning environment, and the school activities page lists an annual ski event as an example. The Burlington campus forest field station and wetland program are not presented as Oakville-specific activities.

About the school

Fern Hill School serves Preschool through Grade 8, combining strong academics, broad-based social development and signature programmes with a well-rounded educational approach.

Location & school highlights

Location

Campuses in Oakville and Burlington. The Burlington campus occupies 30 acres of green space with forest
stream
marsh and meadow.

What makes the school distinct

High-school-style timetable with teachers assigned by subject specialty rather than one teacher per grade.
Maximum class size of 19 students in Grades 1–8, with smaller ratios in Preschool, JK and SK.
Weekly Field Studies Programme with on-site conservation projects and a functioning bird-banding laboratory.
Art teachers are studio artists, and Drama teachers are professional performers.
Tuition includes textbooks, notebooks, school field trips and most activities; parents are not asked to contribute to capital costs or expansion plans.