Toronto is the largest city in Canada and a leader in finance, business, technology, culture, and entertainment. It has been a hub for immigrants all over the world, which has led it to be multicultural and have the largest population in the country. This has resulted in some very large schools in the area. Today, we're going to take a deeper look at the four largest schools in Toronto.
Sometimes, having more students in schools can affect how they perform. Whether positive or negative, there are certain things you can look at to find out the success of the school. Schools are ranked by how well they perform in testing, graduation rates, and other factors that vary depending on the type of school it is. Let's take a look at the University of Toronto, Earl Haigh Secondary School, Valley Park Middle School, and TDSB Thorncliffe Park Public School.
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is the largest college not only in Toronto but all of Canada with over 97,500 students. Offering over 700 undergraduate programs and more than 200 graduate programs, this school is a highly populated choice for a handful of reasons.
The University of Toronto is a well-known school that is thought to be compared to Harvard University. Although this isn't necessarily a fair comparison because Harvard is a private university in the United States and the University of Toronto is a public university in Canada, both of these schools have ranked in the top 50 universities in the world.
This university has a 43% acceptance rate. They require a high school degree, a 3.6 GP or higher as well as a SAT score between 1330 and 1500. Their ACT score requirements are 29 to 34. Of those accepted into the University of Toronto, approximately 80% of students graduate.
The average annual tuition at the University of Toronto is approximately 6,100 Canadian dollars. This translates to approximately $4,500 U.S. dollars. This cost does not include any additional fees like housing, meal plans, books and supplies, etc. Some of these additional fees will be different to customize each student's specific needs.
Another important way you can measure the success of a college is by looking at the average salary of students 10 years after they have graduated. A report from 2020 shows the salaries made by students from the University of Toronto. Approximately 13% of students make $80k and over. Around 10% make between $70k and $80. Around 21% of students make between $60k and $70, and 20% of students make between $50k and $60. 15% make between $40k and $50. About 13% make between $30k and $40k, and 2% make between $20k and $20. Approximately 7% of students preferred not to disclose their salaries.
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Earl Haig Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School is a public high school with approximately 2,100 students. It is well known for its academic focus, commitment to the arts, and school enthusiasm. They offer two programs, the Collegiate Program and the Claude Watson Arts Program. The Collegiate Program focuses on academics, whereas the Claude Watson Arts Program has a focus on dance, music, drama, film, and visual arts. Earl Haig is in the top five high schools in Toronto.
It has been ranked in the top five best high schools due to its test scores. Overall, it received an 8.6/10 rating. Their average level for math is consistently above 3.0 when the provincial average is 2.9. They also have an average of 98% of their students passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, while the provincial average is 78%
Valley Park Middle School
Valley Park Middle School is the largest middle school in the Toronto area. Serving approximately 1,100 students. This school is known for not only having a focus on academics but also on emotional, social, attitudinal, and physical needs. Valley Park is very clear with their motto and code of behavior, which is “Respect for All.” They heavily focus on creating well-rounded students and encourage student leadership in the wide variety of programs they offer.
Although the schools stands for a lot of great things, they do struggle a little bit in the academics department. Looking specifically at sixth-grade test scores, approximately 60% of their students were proficient in reading, while the provincial average is 75%. Regarding writing, approximately 67% of Valley Park students were proficient when the provincial average was 74%. For math, approximately 47% of the students at Valley Park were proficient, while the provincial average is 58%.
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TDSB Thorncliffe Park Public School
TDSB Thorncliffe Park Public School is the largest elementary school in the Toronto area, with 1,278 students. Their goals as a school are to improve literacy and numeracy, work with parents to build a partnership, and provide a caring school environment.
Looking at third-grade test results, this school scores below the provincial average. In reading, approximately 52% of students were proficient, whereas the provincial average is 66%. For writing, 70% of students were proficient when the provincial average was 76%. For math, 62% of students were proficient, while the provincial average was 76%.
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