P.O. Box 3013, 2 Ridley Road St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7C3 Canada - +1 905-684-1889
.jpg?command_1=resize&width_1=2543&height_1=1240 "Upper School Overview")
Ridley College offers a unique opportunity for students from Grade 9 to 12 to learn the way they want to learn. Students are empowered to guide their own learning, discover and pursue their passions, and persevere through challenges.
A Ridley education prepares students to meet the challenges of higher education at the most selective colleges and universities around the world. Our learner-centred and inquiry-based education offers our Upper School students a unique, individualized approach to learning built on critical thinking, dialogue, analysis, and immersive exploration of the ideas that will transform our globe.
Explore our Upper School from the comfort of your home. Click on the image below to start your tour!
Ridley College is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, and the only independent boarding school in Canada authorized to offer the IB continuum programme.
Students have the opportunity to earn two diplomas upon graduating from Ridley College: the IB Diploma and the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Each acts as a ticket to the world, unlocking university and career prospects. Upon graduation, Ridley students’ hard work is often rewarded with an average of eight acceptances to their top universities of choice.
Explore Upper School Academics
When students reach Grade 11 at Ridley, they can opt to continue with the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and/or the OSSD. At Ridley, we adopt an open-access policy for any student who wishes to undertake the challenge of the IB Diploma Programme. Students coming into the programme need no prior experience with the IB framework, and our learner-centred approach ensures all students adapt quickly and thrive.
Learn More About Diploma Programme
In order to earn an OSSD, a student entering Grade 9 must earn a minimum of 30 credits, including 18 compulsory credits and 12 optional credits. Students must also complete 40 hours of community involvement activities and must pass the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test.
Students who take a mixture of IB Diploma courses and OSSD courses are known as hybrid students. The hybrid programme appeals to students who want to take a wider variety of courses than are offered in the OSSD or who want to specialize with three or four courses in a single discipline.
Ridley students are encouraged to balance their academic lives by participating in a variety of co-curricular activities in the arts, athletics, leadership, and community service. We offer a selection of more than 75 co-curricular activities. Our athletic programmes are structured to provide the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to develop physical literacy and value and engage in physical activities for life.
Discover Our Upper School Co-Curriculars
Our guidance team takes a personalized approach to prepare students for their university careers by helping them discover their passions and which courses and institutions will be the right fit for them. Our counsellors have decades of experience in both international and domestic university guidance and are part of a dedicated department that prides itself on knowing and supporting each Upper School student through to graduation.
We offer a variety of support services designed to help all students flourish both in and out of the classroom. Our dedicated Learning Strategists partner with students, parents, teachers, counsellors, advisors and the Health Centre to develop student success plans tailored to meet the evolving needs of students and ensure all students are known and cared for.
Our Boarding Houses offer Ridleians an immersive environment of discovery and opportunity where they are able to embrace their individuality, discover who they are and strive for the future. This important induction to independence lives inside a diverse, dynamic, and vigilant community.
As a community comprised of citizens from over 55 countries, boarding also fosters students’ global perspective. Students live, learn and play with friends from around the globe, and the relationships and deep connections they make stay with them for life. This maturity and understanding of how to live successfully with others prepare students for their post-secondary journey.
Learn More About Our Boarding Programme
For more information, please contact our Admissions department at [email protected].
| IB English: Literature |
| IB English: Language and Literature |
| IB Chinese: Literature |
| Additional languages offered as self-study |
| IB French Level B (Advanced) |
| IB German ab initio (Beginner) |
| IB Mandarin ab initio (Beginner) |
| IB Mandarin Level B (Advanced) |
| IB Spanish ab initio (Beginner) |
| IB Spanish Level B (Advanced) |
| IB Business and Management |
| IB Economics |
| IB Environmental Systems and Societies |
| IB History |
| IB Psychology |
| IB Biology |
| IB Chemistry |
| IB Computer Science |
| IB Design Technology (SL Only) |
| IB Environmental Systems and Societies |
| IB Physics |
| IB Math: Analysis and Approaches |
| IB Math: Applications and Interpretation (SL Only) |
| IB Film |
| IB Theatre Arts |
| IB Visual Arts |
The course has students investigate how they know what they know. It requires students to think deeply on topics that may seem rather simple on the surface but that can really be much more complex. Students are asked to use their lived experiences and the knowledge they learn in all their classes to explore open-ended questions.
This course is pivotal to the IB DP experience and runs across both years 1 and 2. In year 2, students write an essay addressing big questions posed by the IB. For example, in May 2022 the three offered questions are:
IB Diploma Programme students write an independent, self-directed 4,000 word essay on a topic of special interest related to one of the six DP subjects. Throughout the process, they are guided by an advisor with whom they meet regularly to focus research and hone their writing. This proves to be valuable preparation for university as students develop the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.
Examples of essay topics which students have explored include:
The IB programme encourages well rounded students through activities that give them experiences in creativity, action and service (CAS). They are required to lead a CAS project which includes tracking their participation in CAS activities with reflections throughout the process. Through this component of the Diploma programme, the IB has identified 7 key outcomes from CAS activities ranging from personal growth to perseverance to engaging with issues of global importance.
