Reviews of Ridley College (School)

Eli Braun-Loomis

As the Mother of a grade 12 student, that’s flourished at Ridley College for close to a decade, I can’t say enough good, about her experience there. We’ve made life long friendships with incredible families from all over the globe... and I’ve never met a body of children more well rounded, good mannered and worldly - then Ridley College kids.

Monique Mathy-Cordenier

(Translated) My little girl is going to go in October (Original) Ma petite fille va y aller en octobre

Cece

Amazing school

o Kayser

学校的防疫不会做可以不做 别来，赶紧跑

Richard Jin

Obviously there will always be bad characters within the school but the mass majority are seemingly proactive, efficient, and collaborative. The school has at least 40 different kinds of nationalities and offer both the IB and OSSD course for academics. The athletics offer different varsity levels; competitive and recreational sports. However, if you plan to have a boarding experience here at Ridley College, the bonding experiences in the dormitories will be quite a memorable one.

林接接

(Translated) It's great, it's great to live here (Original) 真不错 住在这里真不错

Bigrednol Account

i love it here lol

Andy Heng

Our son Shunsho has been in Ridley College for 1 year since 2020 with the first-half of the year (Sept 2020) through distance-learning from Singapore and the second-half (Jan 2021) at the beautiful boarding facilities on campus at RidleyCollege. Eventhough with the up & down interruptions due to the Covid restrictions throughout the years, we are very pleased with the overall organization & management by Ridley College, especially with the handling of the Covid situation; in term of connecting with all the parents & the Ridley's communities, through townhall meetings, event postings and email updatings, in a regular basis. Over the past 1 year since September 2020 with Ridley College, we are happy to share the valuable & memorable milestone of our son Shunsho, since the beginning of his 1st semester in September 2020. Due to the global and Canada Covid travel restriction in September 2020, our son Shunsho actually kicked off his 1st semester (Gradec11) with Ridley's through distance-learning via Zooms from Singapore. Due to the time-zone differences between Canada vs Singapore (12 hours ahead in time differences), Shunsho would have to stay awaken and up late throughout the wee hours to follow-up & catch up with his classes all the way in Canada via Zooms. We could still remember the late night laughters from Zoom classes and live-streaming performances in his study room, throughout the nights during the classes, over the whole semester. With the warm supports of his teachers and classmates, we were happy to see Shunsho had been able to cope well with the days vs nights differences throughout the semester from September~December 2020. We also discovered Shunsho's enthusiasm and passion to participate throughout the semester especially with the mutual supports from his teachers and classmates; and finally we were very grateful to see Shunsho had enjoyed and done very well throughout this distance-learning experience at the end of his 1st semester in 2020. At the end of December 2020, Shunsho was very happy to receive his Travel VISA to allow entry into Canada after a prolonged delay from the authorities due to the Covid travel restrictions. Again, we have seen the enthusiasm and passion by Shunsho to participate in his classes at Ridley's in person. Eventhough with the risk of Covid at its peak and the ongoing boarder restrictions, Shunsho had insisted to go ahead with his 1st solo travel at the age of 16, surviving the 30 hours longhaul journey (@17,000km) with full mask on all the way, and across 3 continents from Singapore to Frankfurt to Toronto. And to spice-up the encounter upon arrival in Toronto, Shunsho had to be put under another 2-week of self-isolation amidst the 2nd Lockdown in Ontario during the time. During the 2-week self-isolation, Shunsho continued to cope well with his Zoom classes in a diary basis while adjusting himself to the new time zone. After all the unforgettable experiences, our son finally settled down at his beautiful boarding house at Ridley College on December 20, 2020. As the parent, we were very proud of our young boy who has shown us how well he's been able to handle and cope with obstacles at his young age at 16. FINALLY, we are happy that Shunsho has been able to settle down well and made himself felt like home at Ridley's especially with all the supports and encouragements from the teachers and schoolmates. As the parent and part of the community, we can be very proud to share this once-in-a-lifetime memorable experiences of our son's 1st year at Ridley's. We've put our trust to Ridley's with our 2 thumbs-up for the headmaster Mr. Kidd and all the Ridley's community, when Mr. Kidd mentioned during the recent 2021 Annual Graduation Ceremony; once your are a Ridlean, you're forever part of this prestigious association for life. We are looking forward for another exciting adventures for our son in his final year at Ridley College in 2021~2022. Cheers to Ridley College! Andy & Mutsumi-Ando Heng (▪︎Singapore ▪︎Japan) June 2021

Kirk Thomson

I have had 7 of my nieces and nephews attend Ridley, and all I can say is they all had great experiences there. Of course with any childhood there are sometimes that are harder than others, but this is all part of growing up. Everyone of them has turned out to be good, upstanding people with excellent careers. One is a doctor, one is president of a company with both a MBA and a engineering degree, another is a engineer, another is in medical school and the other 3 are in undergraduate programs. I am sorry that Tyrone had a bad experience, but I have seen what great things this school has done for my family. If we were fortunate enough to have our own kids, I would have done whatever I needed to get them a Ridley education.

Simon Hauber

ew rich kids

Nicklaus Mooradian

Ridley is Good

Sascha Jansen-Rudan

Ridley is amazing and better than appleby

Tyrone Nicholas

I spent the two most miserable years of my life here. Do not, I repeat, do NOT send your children to this horrible institution, especially in the elementary grades. Everyone is mean here, from the teachers who deliberately jeer at and humiliate their pupils, to the students themselves who beat, abuse, bully and find creative ways to torment each other. Nobody has friends in the conventional sense of the word, just rivals to be surpassed and diminished. God help you if you come from a working-class family, or are overweight, or really are different in any way. The school is forever punishing, handing out 'hours' and 'gatings' like clockwork, but it has no discipline, or decorum, in any meaningful sense. It's a cutthroat, no-good place, and your child is better off almost anywhere else.

areen

Good and bad memories here. But I can say the good memories I will remember forever. Just leaving a star off because how all my friends were treated in the last year I was there

Legendary Boyz

Did a shadow day here Appleby College is much better

I like Waffles

Powerpoint Presentation

C.J. Volney

Literally the worst place on earth for a child to go. I'm still emotionally scarred from spending one year there. It's like a prison, but for rich kids, and with less compassionate guards than the average prison.

Greg

Established in 1879 Ridley College is steeped in History. A sprawling campus with programmes to suit children of all ages. Lower school is a separate building onto itself, starting from junior kindergarten to grade 8. The upper school carries on the same tradition from grade 9 to PG. Ridley offers the International Baccalaureate program. A newly refinished hockey rink was truly amazing.

Cat Smile

Wonderful summer camps. My son loved Lego Robotics, Coding and Jr Scientist. Lunches needs improvement though; hot-dogs and pizza shouldn't come back every week, they are not very nutritious!

Charlie Gonda

I like it here and everyone is super nice(2020) This school is super fun and there are a ton of great people (2021)

Hannah Ulrich

My daughter has attended Ridley college since Grade 1 (now 8 years) and we have been extremely pleased with the academics, sports, arts & theatre programmes offered at Ridley. The IB structure and diversity of Ridley College has created the ability for our daughter to understand other cultures, make friends from around the world and study base of a global environment. Ridley's focus on well-being and teaching to the whole child is important to our family as well. Not only does Ridley teach our children but provides parenting tools every month hosting parenting talks and speakers from around the world. This is our second child to graduate Ridley and the bonds that are created last a lifetime.

Anthony Whittingham

One of Canada's original "boys'" private schools, now coeducational. Among the original "Little Big Four" schools [UCC, TCS, Ridley (BRC), St. Andrews (SAC)]

Anthony Whittingham

Beautiful facilities and surprisingly humble kids, but only some qualified teachers.

Bruce Miner

Spent one miserable year here at the age of 14. Not a place for an American. Nearly ruined my life but fortunately I got out in time.

Hannah Ulrich

My daughter has attended Ridley college since Grade 1 (now 8 years) and we have been extremely pleased with the academics, sports, arts & theatre programmes offered at Ridley. The IB structure and diversity of Ridley College has created the ability for our daughter to understand other cultures, make friends from around the world and study base of a global environment. Ridley's focus on well-being and teaching to the whole child is important to our family as well. Not only does Ridley teach our children but provides parenting tools every month hosting parenting talks and speakers from around the world. This is our second child to graduate Ridley and the bonds that are created last a lifetime.

Krista Coutu

I cannot say enough about Ridley College. My son started in grade 4 ( currently grade 6) and the changes I see in him as a student, athlete and leader are amazing. As a teacher myself, I can say that the school truly goes above and beyond in every way. They not only focus on academics but help students develop essential skills for life through goal planning, positive education and accountability. Sending my son to Ridley was one of the best decisions I’ve made as a parent thus far. The teachers are helpful, kind and always available for myself or my son. He comes home happy and encouraged each day!!

Renee Smith

We have been thrilled with the teachers & administration. In addition to the immersive IB curriculum, the school offers many other learning opportunities for the younger students - such as fencing, basketball, soccer, dinosaur club, languages, coding, iPad photography, private music lessons & more. Our daughters are excited for school each day!

Grambo

Ridley College is the best institute to launch into adulthood. Here in the first month, I have learned how to manage my time effectively. Here I have also met many students from countries all across the globe. The dorms are incredible and host very kind students and faculties. Here it is a place of learning, family, and legacy. This school has done nothing but teach me the life skills that are required to become an active and functioning adult. When I first learned about this school from my father, I was terrified of the thought of leaving my home. First entering campus felt like it would be the last time I would see my family. But now I realize, stepping through the gates of Ridley for the first time, the students of Ridley were now my family.

Kim Williams

Cool day*_*.

Felix Dunk

it is horrible the food is horrible and when we tell them we should fix the food they don't change it at all. and two teachers once said that i should kill myself it is not the best

Irina Zelenski

The school has a great atmosphere.

RS902 SHAWZY

Attended from 1999-2001 some of the best years of my life great school and community!

Lee Ma

I'm not particularly fond of my time spent here, which was several years ago during my senior year. Frankly, it was akin to a standard public school experience with trivial and absurd "traditions" which establishes its supposed primness. Eons are spent on these futile and superficial endeavors, most vexing being the interminable cadets sessions, rather than academics. Students are generally disrespectful, which is to be expected from any school, however the teachers (with few exceptions) are complicit. There is a collective indolence amongst the teachers, which is under the guise of "interactive learning" consisting of viewing mind-numbing YouTube videos and group projects, in which classmates conduct research and the teacher dozes off, most likely contemplating about what their next putrid Chartwells meal would be. The surly science department is in dire need of alteration. The only pleasure I'd experienced was when my parents' car puttered along the winding roads where boarders trudged sullenly towards their boarding houses (I actually pity them), past the wrought iron gates, and into reality free of egotistical and pretentious snobs that populated this school.

D V

Ridley College is an extremely special place. It's hard to put its unique character and heritage into words. You truly won't understand what makes it special unless you have been part of the school in some way. I attended for all of my high school years, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I hope to send my own kids there one day.

Amanda Lachapelle

My son is a fairly new student and we moved to Ridley because the current education system wasn't meeting his needs. After many years beating our heads against a brick wall - we decided to go through the application process and see if Ridley would be a good fit. We were not disappointed - the school has been welcoming and is full of great resources for parents. He has joined the choir and ski club and was recently in the Christmas play - so many experiences and fun activities and when he comes home he has had a day full of interactions that have sparked his imagination. Nothing is perfect so of course we've had an issue or two but the staff have been on top of it and really a real partner in education and parenting. I think there have been a lot of misconceptions about private school but let me say that it has been nothing but welcoming and both my husband and I are so glad we made the switch.

Joha Hanna

Our family joined the school 5 years ago. It has been the best decision. With 4 children at the school, the school offers a platform that caters for each of my children's diverse needs. The community offered at the school, the caring teachers who go above and beyond, the strong friendships formed in smaller classes has been so special and valuable to us. We feel so fortunate to be part of such a great school. We know we are investing into our children's future by giving them the opportunity to be at Ridley College.

Chas Nabi

spent a horrible year here at the age of 14 where the culture of the school encouraged hazing and physical abuse from the other students. i'm still in therapy to this day because of the abuse i suffered here, abuse the faculty and staff were aware of and frequently looked the other way on. Additionally, the classes were ridiculously easy as there is no attention paid to English proficiency in class placement, so students who can barely speak English are placed in Literature classes with students who are proficient or native speakers, and as a result the curriculum is heavily dumbed down. Grades are inflated to give the appearance of success to parents, but the academics are pretty poor. If you want your children to be well-adjusted adults, don't send them to Ridley.

Riley gravel

My family and I visit Ridley college a few times a year. We love it there! The grounds are stunning and well kept. The students are friendly and warm, the staff have always been kind and welcoming. We hope our kids will get to experience going to Ridley college when they get older.

George Plum

Excellent school. Great education, great faculty, a truly outstanding school. Will definitely send future generations here.

Alvin Wong

Will never forget my time there/here; with so many of my “first time” , from first love to first smoke to first skiing and the unbelievable cold fire drills, Ridley was/is/will be forever good and bad memories! And never forget the incredible food, no matter if its Italian spaghetti or Chinese or American, it never lack to surprise you!

Ming Hak

I studied at Ridley College a few years back and my experience was generally positive. Most of the teachers there were kind and helpful with one exception, Giles Campbell. One class, when he was returning marked assignments to students, he approached me and said he did not receive my assignment. I told him I submitted my assignment but he insisted that I did not. I was at a loss for words because I put so much effort into the assignment and it was lost. He ended the conversation without giving any solution to the problem. He did not mention if he was going to look for my assignment or if I should redo my assignment. A few days later, I got a notification from the academic office claiming that I was absent from his design class on the day where we had the conversation about my assignment in class. The next class, I told him that he made a mistake when he took attendance and I was present at the class. He insisted that I was absent so I reminded him it was the class where we had the conversation about my missing assignment. He became very angry and yelled at me saying how dare I ask him to change my attendance when I was absent and failed to hand in my assignment. When I tried to explain again, he started tossing paper and swiping things off his desk. I was so embarrassed and upset that this all happened in front of the whole class so I left. The following class, I was able to prove my attendance by showing him my web browser history where I was working on a group discussion during the alleged missed class. He changed my attendance from absent to present without a word. A few classes later, he returned my assignment, which he earlier claimed he never received. Later that year, I went on an art and design field trip to New York with his class. I was feeling sick and luckily the art teacher who was accompanying the trip noticed that I was sick, gave me medication and checked up on me afterwards. Campbell never even talk to me once on that multi-day field trip even though he was supposed to be leading our class. Giles Campbell never apologized to me for losing my work, wrongfully accusing me of missing class and assignment, and insulting me in front of the entire class. He seemed to be too prideful to admit his own mistakes. I think his abusive behaviour is not acceptable and should be called out. Him losing his temper has set a bad example for the students. He lacks leadership and problem solving skills. His actions show that he is not qualified to teach minors.

3227신주영

I wrote this only because Leon Ban my roommate told me to

菊美

good school！

Monica Morcous

I currently study here and I truly believe it is an amazing school! Definitely recommend it.

Charmaine Bellefleur

This is my daughters 6th year at Ridley and she loves it! As a parent you want what's best for your children and Ridley is it. I would highly recommend the school!

Gesselle Anne

Do not recommend this school. Some of the teachers were nice here, but there's also teachers with an absolute bad attitude. Which there's racism amongst the teachers towards the students. This school really needs to improve their teacher selection standards, especially housemasters. Not going to say who it is, but there's a housemaster for girls house is totally the worst housemaster I've ever seen since she's new. Absolutely ungrateful to the student and staff in the house and classes but is completely opposite when she meets the parents, too fake for being a teacher. Feels like she's only here for the salary instead of putting her heart in teaching students. Although the facilities are great in this school but the teachers aren't up to the standard. Will never send my other kids to this school again.

Javier Perez

Best days of my youth .....

Odessa Paterson

ew rich kids

Nam Vu

Maybe 10, 20 or 30 years ago it was less heterogeneous with a higher prevalence for juvenile rituals (like conceding ceremonial rituals on juniors with indulging harassment like a Japanese junior-senior businessman relationship). I was here five years ago or so as a student, the condition might have ever so slightly improved. When I talked to some domestic students here who came from past public high schools, some didn't find the environment very enriching or felt it was restrictive or niche. Certainly like all high schools alike, there are cliques here and there. If you are academically orientated or athletically inclined, it isn't that bad. If no socialization follows, then it is likely that you are on your 'own' as far as everything comes to. There's some mishaps here and there with people fooling around late at night or doing devious things at dubious times like everywhere else. However, I have noted on some occasions where the extent of harassment or bullying could be pervasive; in one particular incident, a much shorter-than-average person (not from overseas) and was white withdrew from the school for nefarious reasons. The school greatly depends on donations and ushers them; it is to be expected as any free-market non-publicly funded institution relies on money to survive. I don't personally come from an elite socioeconomic background so I found the people in this school to be native to three distinct certain backgrounds; the most well endowed and least-restrained, the well-endowed and well-handled, and the average. The former typically can form as much as 30% of the school, the latter are around 50% and 20% respectively. The teachers were not too notable; technology was used most of the time as a secondary role in class. Any high school subject could be mastered with ease. There were certainly many 'rituals' like morning chapel or 'walking statically in a line haphazardly with peers in unison' and 'uniform maintenance' as methods of cultivating high demeanor or a presence of refinedness and discipline (for the brochures); but these were detrimental when I think of all the time I could of used for my intellectual pursuits. The costs are exceptionally high and since I do not have a time machine, I cannot outright compare the situation to other public or private schools with respect to what my otherwise contingent experiences are or would be. I do believe that the percentiles adjusted would yield a slightly better academic environment for a common child, when all other factors are equal--but I believe just as much good can be done if such a person were to be innately innervated with passionate interests and inclinations of loving to learn. Probabilistically speaking, your child 'is' better off in this school versus any ordinary public school when only socioeconomic factors are considered in terms of future prospects. I concede however that $100,000 or more over a span of 2, 3 or 4-years in spending could be invested in other means that make your child more successful in life in whatever standards you wish to use to make a relative comparison (of wealth, educational attainment, career prospects) to other children. What bothers me the most is beyond just the scope of this school, and as of all encompassing modern education (universities too) is the necessitance of regurgitation of specialized knowledge without any regards to the systematic inclusion of a good, solid foundational understanding of how that knowledge can be gained, its results and its conclusions as well as an objective overview of matters of pragmatics of such theory and knowledge to reach the full-utilization potential. Most of human interactions everyday are banal and involve zero-to-little skills feigned with such academic prowness. Humans are increasingly becoming technologically obsolete, and as long as any algorithm or functions of a human mind can be reproduced in a non-stochastic process with regards to the abstraction of ideas, possibilities and the world, then rationally it makes little sense as to inefficiently procure

smith luna

I like this school very much, and I also like the school environment and the teacher. However, as a boarding student, I am speechless about our G house headmaster and really hate her.It felt like it had been said many times but she didn't change it.