"What are the best private schools in Ontario?" is one of the most-searched school questions in the province — and the honest answer starts with something most ranking sites won't tell you: the majority of Ontario's famous private schools don't appear in any performance ranking at all. Here's how it actually works, which independent schools are ranked, and how to evaluate the ones that aren't.
The rankings on this site — and virtually every Ontario school ranking you'll find — are built on EQAO, the province-wide standardized tests written in Grades 3, 6, 9 and the OSSLT. Publicly funded schools must participate. Private and independent schools choose whether to participate, and most of the well-known ones — Upper Canada College, Havergal, Branksome Hall, Crescent, Appleby, St. Andrew's, Ridley, Lakefield and their peers — opt out entirely. No EQAO data means no Fraser Institute score, which means no ranking. Their absence says nothing about their quality; it just means they can't be measured on the same yardstick.
A meaningful number of Ontario independent schools — faith-based schools, Montessori academies, and other private programs — voluntarily write EQAO, and those schools appear in the Fraser rankings alongside public and Catholic schools, often near the very top of the table. Independent schools regularly post some of the highest elementary scores in the province.
From the Fraser Institute's Report Card on Ontario's Secondary Schools 2025 (747 schools ranked, based on 2023/24 EQAO results):
| School | City | Rating /10 | Provincial rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Grove High School | Mississauga | 9.4 | #7 of 747 |
| ISNA High School | Mississauga | 8.9 | #23 of 747 |
| Al-Manarat Islamic School | Mississauga | 7.9 | #95 of 747 |
| Jordan Christian School | Lincoln | 6.6 | #294 of 747 |
| Windsor Islamic High School | Windsor | 5.8 | #422 of 747 |
| Safa & Marwa Islamic School | Mississauga | 5.5 | #478 of 747 |
Worth noticing: an independent school outranks 740 of Ontario's 747 high schools. Also worth knowing: St. Michael's Choir School (rated 10.0, tied #1) is sometimes mistaken for a private school — it's a publicly funded TCDSB school with auditioned entry. Trend data isn't yet available for most independents, as several are recent additions to EQAO publication.
Elementary independents: dozens of independent elementary schools — Islamic, Christian, Montessori and others — also appear in the 3,052-school elementary rankings, several near the very top. We're compiling that list for a future update; meanwhile, every ranked school is searchable from our homepage.
These schools don't write EQAO and therefore have no ranking on this site — but they're the names most families researching "private schools Ontario" are looking for. Most belong to CAIS (Canadian Accredited Independent Schools) and publish their own outcomes data.
Upper Canada College (boys, IB) · Havergal College (girls) · Branksome Hall (girls, IB) · Crescent School (boys) · University of Toronto Schools (co-ed, merit entry) · Bishop Strachan School (girls) · St. Michael's College School (boys, Catholic) · Greenwood College School · The York School (IB) · Bayview Glen · Crestwood · Sterling Hall (boys, elementary)
Appleby College (Oakville, boarding/day) · MacLachlan College (Oakville) · Hillfield Strathallan College (Hamilton) · Mentor College (Mississauga) · Holy Name of Mary College School (Mississauga, girls, Catholic) · Rotherglen (Oakville/Milton/Mississauga, elementary)
St. Andrew's College (Aurora, boys, boarding/day) · The Country Day School (King) · Holy Trinity School (Richmond Hill) · Villanova College (King City, Catholic) · Pickering College (Newmarket, boarding/day) · Toronto Montessori Schools (Richmond Hill)
Ridley College (St. Catharines, boarding, IB) · Lakefield College School (near Peterborough, boarding) · Trinity College School (Port Hope, boarding/day) · Albert College (Belleville) · Ashbury College (Ottawa, IB) · Elmwood School (Ottawa, girls, IB) · Kingsway College (Oshawa) · Great Lakes Christian High School (Beamsville)
Since you can't lean on EQAO for most of these, evaluate on what they can show you:
1. Accreditation. CAIS membership involves external review cycles — it's the closest thing to a quality floor in the independent sector. Ontario's Ministry inspects private secondary schools only for credit-granting authority, which is a much lower bar than parents assume.
2. University outcomes. Ask for the last three years of university placement lists and average entering scholarship values — strong schools volunteer these.
3. Retention. What percentage of families re-enrol each year? It's the single most honest satisfaction metric a school has.
4. Teacher credentials and turnover. Private schools aren't required to hire OCT-certified teachers — ask what share of faculty are certified and how long they stay.
5. The classic tour questions. Class sizes by grade (averages hide a lot), actual course offerings that ran last year, and what happens when a student struggles.
GTA private school tuition typically runs $20,000–$38,000 per year per child — $250,000+ per child over a K–12 run. The alternative many families quietly choose: buy into the catchment of a 9+ rated public school and bank the difference. Neither answer is right for everyone, but it's worth running both numbers before assuming private is the only path to a strong education. Our city pages show you exactly where the top-rated public catchments are.
Are private schools better than public schools in Ontario?
The research is genuinely mixed: private school students post stronger average outcomes, but studies attribute much of the gap to family resources rather than the schools themselves. A strong student in a strong public school with engaged parents typically does just as well.
Do private schools follow the Ontario curriculum?
Private elementary schools face almost no curriculum requirements. Private high schools that grant OSSD credits must be inspected by the Ministry for those credits — but inspection covers credit integrity, not overall quality.
Why does a Montessori school appear in your rankings but UCC doesn't?
Because that Montessori school chose to write EQAO and UCC didn't. Participation is the only gate.
Is tuition tax-deductible?
Generally no — though portions may qualify as childcare (younger grades) or medical expenses (special-needs programs), and religious schools sometimes issue partial donation receipts. Confirm specifics with an accountant.
School lists above are provided for research convenience, are not exhaustive, and do not constitute endorsements. Verify programs, accreditation and admissions details directly with each school.