P.O. Box 3013, 2 Ridley Road St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7C3 Canada - +1 905-684-1889
Ridley College offers a global education anchored in Canadian values. Our students attend school ‘with the world,’ sharing life-shaping experiences and preparing for leadership and impact.
When a family chooses Ridley, it is an honour and a privilege to welcome them through our gates. Each student who comes to us does so from a unique path and perspective, but the reasons families choose Ridley are often similar.
On our campus, a transformation takes place: Ridleians from across Canada and around the world live, learn and play with each other and collaborate with dedicated faculty and mentors. Each day, our diverse community of young people is inspired to seek out knowledge, nurture important values and believe in themselves.
As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, our classroom culture is learner-driven and rests upon a foundation of inquiry and curiosity. Pair this with the Ridley community’s commitment to serving others, and we graduate students who are ready to face the world as resilient, integrated and engaged global citizens.
Our education focuses on the 'whole person,' fostering intellectual, physical, and social-emotional skills that our graduates carry with them throughout their lives. We place particular emphasis on wellbeing, which not only ensures students feel secure, connected, and engaged but teaches them the habits needed to lead flourishing lives—today and long after they’ve left the Ridley gates.
Here are some of the common reasons our families decided a Ridley education was right for them:
Education at Ridley is 'learner-centred' and inquiry-based, enhanced by the International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy - a diverse, rigorous programme that challenges students and sets them apart. This curriculum develops curiosity, open-mindedness, and agile thinking and doing. It builds leaders and responsible citizens who have the ability to transform our globe.
Learning is fundamental to the wellbeing, prosperity and sense of belonging of all people. At Ridley, we are all learners. Teaching and learning is a respectful and habitual process, an art and science founded upon relationships and love. Self-efficacy, confidence, and a growth mindset are essential to the development of self-actualized individuals committed to life-long learning.
We foster a culture that recognizes the individual all the while promoting individual agency. Our emphasis is on a life examined through a commitment to the liberal arts and humanistic enquiry.
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At Ridley, we believe to be well educated is to be prepared to lead a good life. This is an old idea, too often forgotten in modern society. Today, we refer to this as Wellbeing Education - teaching young people the habits of living well.
Our wellbeing curriculum and approach to living and learning is influenced by two approaches – Visible Wellbeing and the PERMA-V theory - which have evidence-based research in positive psychology and its application to education. This focus on positive education enables students to build the foundation for a flourishing life.
At Ridley College, we value diversity, pluralism, and cultivating a global perspective. A diverse community needs to engage with empathy, which means learning communication skills that heal existing divides and prevent new ones, both within and beyond the walls of the school.
We’ve partnered with bestselling author and award-winning professor of leadership, Irshad Manji, to integrate the fundamentals of Moral Courage into our teachings. Moral Courage is an approach to communicating and developing relationships across divides. It empowers us to hear, not fear, different perspectives.
We were delighted to have Professor Manji in residence in March 2022 to teach our students, parents, faculty, and staff about the Moral Courage Method. Here are some highlights of her visit:
Built on some of the world’s oldest boarding school traditions, Ridley is decidedly shaped by great Canadian values of humility, respect and pluralism. Ridley’s culture is further enhanced by a global perspective few schools can match, thanks to a diverse student body from 59 countries, and many Canadian provinces.
Our students reflect the multiculturalism and diversity of modern-day Canada. Every day, students build a lifelong network of connections from all over the world and have the opportunity to engage with new cultures and world views right here on campus.
For more than a century, Ridleians have been guided by our school’s inspirational motto - Terar Dum Prosim - “May I be consumed in service.”
Terar Dum Prosim
Now, as in 1900, this commitment to making the world a kinder, more compassionate and more equitable human community is just what we need. The world yearns for global leaders who live the spirit of Terar Dum Prosim. The spirit of service drives our student experience from JK to Grade 12 with service initiatives embedded into the classroom experience and co-curricular activities.
We believe we have the most beautiful independent school campus in all of Canada. Nestled in the heart of the Niagara region, our stunning 90-acre campus has sweeping grounds, stately Victorian architecture and modern facilities, which is why its allure is often compared to liberal arts colleges and Ivy League schools.
Our campus is an idyllic setting for our students to learn, live, and play. For thousands of Ridleians around the world, the name of their House, the Memorial Chapel, A-Squad, and the 'Iggy' are names that evoke warm memories of home and belonging.
Armed with an international education and supported by exceptional university counselling, our graduates leave the Ridley gates prepared to make a difference. Ridleians matriculate to some of the most prestigious universities in the world. More importantly, they discover their ‘best fit’ and their next home:
The Ridley community is often referred to as the Ridley family. All Ridleians belong to a broader community of peers, faculty, parents and alumni. As a boarding school, our lifeblood is community connections and relationship building across age groups, generations, and identity groups, which is why ‘belonging’ is such a strong feeling at Ridley.
When young people commit themselves wholeheartedly to our boarding school culture, the result is truly transformative. The changes in our students are powerful and revolutionary. Just as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, our Ridleians become new people. They become leaders.
Ridley College has an incredible community. It is diverse, accepting and extremely kind.
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