Personalized learning has been foundational at St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School in Oakville since 1891 and involves small classes, dedicated teachers and a culture of knowing each student deeply.ST. MILDRED’S-LIGHTBOURN SCHOOL IMAGE
Smaller private schools are using their size as a strategic advantage, creating personalized learning environments in which students feel known, supported and encouraged to take risks.
At The Mabin School, an intentionally small elementary school in Toronto, there is just one class per grade from junior kindergarten to Grade 6 with a total of 150 students. What makes Mabin unique is its innovative teaching model in which two educators work in tandem in classes of about 20 students. Together they encourage curiosity among their students rather than using rigid, standardized teaching methods.
The school community is one that values simple interactions, whether it is knowing each student by name or noticing when they need extra care. “There was this moment at the water fountain where a student needed a break and his early childhood specialist simply slowed things down for him,” says Michelle Barchuk, director of admissions and communications. “It’s these micro moments that help kids feel really known, giving them the confidence to try something different or learn a new skill.”
At Trafalgar Castle School, an independent day and boarding school for girls in Whitby, Ont., class sizes range from six to 23 pupils with a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio. Small class sizes enable empathetic and supportive teachers, who undergo regular training in social-emotional learning to recognize what interests their students and learn how integrate these interests into the learning environment, promoting deeper engagement and growth.
In a locally developed course designed for Grade 11 and Grade 12, students teach their own Take Time workshops. Students are assigned an adult mentor, they propose a topic, determine the materials and budget required, and market it. “We see how topics and ideas really connect for students when they are able to make decisions about what they are learning and how,” says Kate Hebdon, deputy head of school.
St. Clement’s School, an Anglican independent all-girls day school in Toronto, prioritizes helping students understand themselves as learners. Students learn strategies to frame thinking, manage worries, solve problems and enhance the type of positive mindset that supports academic growth and success.Karri North/ST. CLEMENT'S SCHOOL
To ensure students learn in a way that is meaningful to them, St. Clement’s School (SCS), an Anglican independent all-girls day school in Toronto, prioritizes helping students understand themselves as learners. “That knowledge is essential to developing self-awareness, self-efficacy and self-advocacy,” says Principal Martha Perry.
Since 2014, students and families at SCS have benefited from the LINCWell (Learning, Individualization, Nurturing, Creativity and Well-being) approach. Students learn strategies to frame thinking, manage worries, solve problems and enhance the type of positive mindset that supports academic growth and success.
In SCS’s small school community, administrative staff have different roles: The accountant may coach volleyball and advancement staff help at recess. This allows adults and students to know one another in multiple contexts, strengthening trust and helping students feel seen, supported and cared for.
Smaller schools also have the freedom and flexibility to rethink long-held traditions and assumptions. Kingsway College School (KCS), a junior kindergarten to Grade 12 co-ed school, whose Junior School is located in Etobicoke, Ont., and Senior School in Toronto, continuously rethinks its approach to learning in an ever-changing world.
For example, Junior School students participate in electives for three months, learning and practising topics of interest. In senior years they participate in KCS Path, in which students determine the topic, and the school corrals resources – such as expert mentors, community partners and interdisciplinary faculty – to support their exploration.
“The result is what we call ‘purpose finding’ or that moment when students discover a direction they want to pursue,” says Garth Nichols, head of school. “That purpose becomes intrinsically motivating – not just for themselves, but for the impact they can have on others.”
The ability to forge strong relationships is the common thread across small-school success stories. “Being a smaller school community allows our teachers to get to know their students, including their interests, strengths, areas of need and aspirations. This information informs our courses and teaching style,” says Wendy Herod, director of guidance and postsecondary counselling at Greenwood College School, an independent co-educational middle and high school in Toronto.
Greenwood students have their own adviser for a two-year cycle. Advisers support students with executive function skills, co-curricular involvement and character development, and are an advocate for families, students and teachers.
“One of our students spoke with his adviser who encouraged him to challenge himself. The student spoke with pride about how, when given the choice between a question-and-answer interview or a more in-depth article in English class, he chose to push himself. He wrote the article and it was published in the school newspaper,” says Rachel Baker, director of personalized learning.
With artificial intelligence (AI) and technology becoming more prevalent in the education system, Lakefield College School, a co-educational school for students in Grade 9 through Grade 12, adopted a school-monitored AI platform called Flint.
“Flint informs how we design learning experiences and how we guide teachers to use these tools thoughtfully and ethically. It supports different ways of teaching, helping students access information in ways that match their abilities and how they learn,” says Jen Frickey, director of learning success. “Because we are a smaller school, we can pilot ideas, pause to reflect on their impact and refine them.”
Personalization can be more visible with choirs, teams and tournaments, and shows up in smaller ways when a group of students want to start a law club or produce a film. “Because we are small, these ideas don’t get missed or dismissed,” says Dean Van Doleweerd, associate head of programs. “We’re able to be responsive, knowing students well enough to say yes when it makes sense.”
A small private school in Switzerland, Neuchâtel Junior College (NJC) offers Ontario Grade 12 courses to students in their final year of high school or gap year. The school typically hosts between 60 and 80 students with 15 students in each class. NJC students live with Swiss, French-speaking families for their year abroad.
“Because of our size, our students receive a great deal of individual attention from teachers in and out of class time, as well as from our guidance department where we conference regularly with individual students and their parents to learn what the student’s postsecondary plan is, and how it might adjust over the course of the academic year,” says Andrew J. Keleher, head of school. “It is incumbent on us as their high school teachers to prepare them as best we can for the world they are about to enter.”
The idea of personalized learning isn’t just a trend at St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School (SMLS) in Oakville; it has been foundational since 1891. “It requires small classes, teachers who stay and a culture that values knowing each student deeply,” says Catherine Hant, head of school. “When the same teachers and peers see you across academics, athletics and arts, you’re known for more than one thing,” Hant says. “Our robotics lead stars in the musical. Our volleyball captain codes applications. When students experience success in one area, it builds their confidence, and they discover they’re capable of more than they first believed.”
In Junior School, SMLS teachers study how individual students express their curiosity through words, movement, art and play. From there they design learning paths. For example, when a Grade 1 student wonders how everyone gets to school, rather than impose a lesson around the question, teachers transform it into a realistic math investigation. In Senior School, small classes with 12 to 15 students allow teachers to know when they are experiencing challenges. “In larger co-ed classrooms, girls often self-silence, calculating whether speaking up is worth it,” Hant says. “At SMLS, that calculation disappears.”
By creating environments where students are seen, heard and valued for their differences, these small schools are creating personalized learning that builds confidence, courage and lifelong growth.
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