Ashbury College

Ashbury has offered the International Baccalaureate since 1975. In the last two years of the Senior School, students can take the full IB Diploma, the IB Bilingual Diploma or up to four individual IB courses, and the programme is aligned with the requirements of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma so that graduates can earn both. Every student completes IB English and roughly three quarters take further IB courses. The IB route is open to motivated students with an average of 75% or more, and each graduating student receives one-to-one university counselling.

English is the main language of instruction. French has a strong place in the school: Ashbury offers a bilingual English-French diploma route, an IB Bilingual Diploma option and a French Social Studies homeroom in Grade 7, and the school presents itself in both languages. Within the IB Diploma, students study a second language, with Spanish among the options, and there are French and Spanish clubs. In summer the school runs an ESL boarding programme for students who want to improve their English.

Ashbury is organised in two schools. The Junior School covers Grades 3 to 8 (ages about 8 to 14) and is for day students; Grade 3 is being added from 2026-27, and the main intake years are Grades 3, 4, 6 and 7. It offers a broad programme with a focus on critical thinking, creativity, bilingualism and character. The Senior School covers Grades 9 to 12 for day and boarding students and leads to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, with the IB Diploma or IB courses in the final two years.

Boarding is available in the Senior School, mainly for entry to Grades 9 to 11, and around 110 students from more than 40 countries live on campus. Boarders live in the Heather Gillin Residence, Matthews House or the smaller Maple Residence, each with kitchens for snacks, and eat in the main dining hall. Weekends include local outings in Ottawa such as skating, hiking and festivals, and long-weekend trips to places like Toronto, Niagara Falls or Mont Tremblant. Boarding fees for 2026-27 are CAD 87,660.

Ashbury's mission is to inspire students to become intellectually curious, compassionate and engaged global citizens, and its vision is about thriving together in a changing world. The school highlights three groups of values: academic excellence and personal growth, pluralism and international engagement, and stewardship and service. Its Latin motto, Probitas, Virtus, Comitas, stands for honesty, courage and kindness, and a non-denominational chapel programme and a pluralism initiative support character education and an inclusive community.

The Senior School co-curricular programme is organised by term and mirrors the creativity, activity and service strands of the IB. Competitive teams include cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, field hockey, golf, football, swimming, tennis, alpine and Nordic skiing, badminton, rugby, baseball, track and field and Ultimate, alongside recreational options such as fitness and yoga, rock climbing, table tennis and outdoor adventure. Clubs cover robotics, coding, chess, choir, a string ensemble, dance, theatre, Model United Nations, speech and debate, business, mathematics, TEDx, yearbook and a Round Square club. Junior School pupils take part in a Games programme and after-school clubs.

The 13-acre campus in Rockcliffe Park has grown steadily since the school arrived in 1910. Facilities include a gymnasium and a double gymnasium, the Taggart Fitness Centre, a theatre, computer labs and a Creative Learning Centre with art and music rooms. The Centre for Science and Innovation, opened in 2019, houses six university-level science labs. Maclaren Hall serves as the dining room. There are three residences for boarders, athletic fields, an outdoor amphitheatre, a green roof, a prayer and reflection room and a Wellness Centre. A fundraising project is under way to add an artificial turf field and track facilities.

A student support team brings together a school counsellor, a registered nurse in the Wellness Centre, learning strategists, a chapel and life skills coordinator and an athletic therapist. Learning strategists help with study and executive-function skills, and students with diagnosed learning needs receive individual learning plans. Every student has a form teacher or a teacher advisor who acts as the link with families. Meals are served in the main dining hall, a bus programme is available, and the school offers need-based bursaries and a small number of merit awards. Summer camps and credit courses run in July.