North Toronto Academy is for students who need or want more individual teacher attention, support and motivation than is available at larger schools.

Our model is designed especially for students who may not be strong academic performers, who may have ADD or other mild form of learning disability, who have an "Individual Education Plan" (IEP), or who may have low motivation for academic achievement. The program is not designed for those students who have profound learning disabilities, or who have serious behavioural problems.

Most schools, due to their broad public mandate and large class sizes, have only a limited ability to tailor their programs to an individual student's needs. As good as Ontario’s teachers and public schools are, there is only so much individual attention a teacher can give to each individual when trying to manage a class of 25, 30 or more students. This is true whether the classroom is in a public or private school. The availability of "resource" or "learning centre" teachers to provide extra help outside the classroom is in decline due to financial pressures. Add to this the fact that, in public education at least, the system by its nature is optimized first to meet the needs of the "average student". Finally, the common model of a separate, ‘stand-alone’ school for Grades 7 and 8 is widely believed by educators and parents to be an inferior and deeply flawed model, which studies show delivers consistently weaker academic results, and greater social and behavioural problems, than either Grades 'K-8' or '7-12' schools.

This "one-size-fits-all" approach can work for your child if he or she is at or above the class average in terms of knowledge, learning skills, motivation, and maturity, etc. However, if your child is not near or above the class average on these dimensions, he or she may not be getting the best possible education for his or her needs. This problem is greatly exacerbated if your child has even a mild cognitive or learning disability. The result can be that your child may fall behind peers in terms of intellectual and social development, or even fall through the cracks and become disenchanted with school, and lacking in self-confidence.

1. To avoid the distractions and lack of teacher attention associated with large class sizes
2. They have difficulty with the subject and need extra teacher attention to be successful
3. They have a conflict with the teacher at their full-time school, and so opt to take the course outside the school
4. Scheduling conflicts, or the course isn't offered at their regular school
5. Repeat a failed course, or upgrade a mark
6. To "get ahead" by earning an extra credit so that their workload in the next semester can be reduced, or they can graduate sooner.
7. They attend school on a part-time basis only – usually competitive athletes or mature students.

North Toronto Academy’s “Personalized Education” approach overcomes the problems inherent in larger, institutional “one size fits all” educational settings, by providing what these schools, due to their very nature, can’t or won’t provide. We provide each child with Personalized Education that capitalizes on his or her strengths and works to develop any individual area of weakness. There is not a classroom in any school in the country, indeed in the world, where all students are at the same level in all aspects of their knowledge or development at any given moment. At North Toronto Academy we choose to embrace this fact, and to work within this reality, rather than ignore it.

If your child is not above or near the “class average” in his or her school in terms of academic knowledge and skills, social maturity, and motivation, or has an IEP or potential mild undiagnosed learning disability (such as ADD), North Toronto Academy can help. We personalize the education for our students in the following ways:

Small class size – The student – teacher ratio in our Grade 7 & 8 classes is approximately 8:1, and in our High School classes, about 5:1. Even without considering the other advantages of our program, this fact alone virtually ensures a more personalized and superior education. The more individual attention and support a child receives from a teacher, the more they learn, and the more they enjoy learning. Our teachers have the skills, and the time, to develop a deep understanding of each student, and how to help them do their best. This makes all the difference.

Teaching Tailored to Learning Style – With our small class sizes, teachers have the time to adapt their teaching style to match the way each student learns. This is known as "differential instruction". Every individual has a dominant learning style - the way they are best able to acquire, process and retain information. Through interviews, assessments, interaction and observation we determine student’s natural learning style (e.g. visual, auditory, kinesthetic), and tailor our teaching style and class activities to give him or her opportunities to capitalize on these areas of strength and to develop in weaker areas.

Accommodations & Flexible Assessment Strategies - Just as each person has a natural learning style, so do they have a naturally preferred style for communicating what they know (i.e. writing, speaking, performance or visual art, etc.). North Toronto Academy recognizes this, and offers some flexibility in how we evaluate students’ knowledge and skills. Examples of this include allowing more time on tests, oral (vs. written) testing, presentations, projects or skits in place of formal written papers, etc. Our goal is to enable students communicate what they know from a position of strength, so that we know that they have learned, not to just evaluate their skills and knowledge in the easiest and more expedient way possible.

Parent communication – We believe parents should always know how their child is doing in school, and whether there are any special issues or concerns. And unlike many large schools, we don’t wait until the end of the semester or end of the year to let you know. At North Toronto Academy, teachers provide frequent parent updates regarding their child’s academic and social progress and attitude. Upon request we will provide parents a list of all of the child’s outstanding and upcoming assignments and summative evaluations, so that we can work together to help the child be successful. We are also very diligent about reporting student lates/absences to parents – if you child is late or absent, you will be notified. Guaranteed.

How important is French for your child? – French is specified as a compulsory subject in the grades 7, 8 and 9 Ontario curricula. However, for those students with significantly underdeveloped language or academic skills, low motivation, and/or a learning or attention deficit, learning French can be torturous. In some cases the struggle to learn French can negatively impact the child’s social, psychological and educational wellbeing in a significant way, putting the child at greater risk of dropping out of school completely. North Toronto Academy evaluates each case on its own merits, and where it can be shown that a student is not intellectually capable, or where the negatives of attempting to complete the French curriculum outweigh the educational benefits to the child, NTA will consider substituting French with other material deemed suitable by the school and/or the Ministry of Education. Parental consent and approval of the Principal is required.

Small School – North Toronto Academy has 30-40 full time students. This ensures you child won’t be “lost in the shuffle,” while still providing a robust social environment. Not only does this small size enable greater supervision, attention and safely, it helps dramatically reduce the number of behaviour problems and other distracting influences that have become part of the landscape in larger schools.

Continuous, year-round admissions – North Toronto Academy takes in new students at any time during the school year. If your child’s personal situation requires she move schools in mid semester, North Toronto Academy can accommodate this. We will develop a personalized plan to integrate your child into our school’s academic and social life, and to support him or her throughout the transition.

North Toronto Academy teachers are well qualifed, experienced, and enthusiastic.  All are subject matter experts with University degrees, and most are OCT certified and have Special Education qualifications as well.

We hire only teachers who are passionate about their students’ success. Our teachers thrive on the challenge of engaging students who may not typically do well academically. Our teachers take pride in working in a comfortable environment with small class sizes, enabling them to offer Personalized Education consisting of individual coaching and creative lessons rather than a traditional "lecture style" delivery.

The teachers and staff at North Toronto Academy have the experience working in a private school setting catering to students with varying needs and levels of ability. Our teachers recognize that each child is unique and so should be their learning experience. Teachers are trained and experienced in tailoring their lessons to best suit the needs of the individual students, rather than to a class average. Overall, our teachers demonstrate the passion needed to motivate students to build confidence in every subject as well as in everyday life.

Reading, writing and math are not the only skills needed to be successful in school. Students must also know how to study effectively and efficiently, how to manage their time, and how to stay organized. And these skills are all the more important for students that are behind their peers in terms of academic knowledge, ability to focus, or motivation.

North Toronto Academy’s programs incorporate specific focus and individual coaching on these critical success factors. In our Grade 7 & 8 programs we devote significant class time and attention to teaching the strategies, tools and techniques students need to be more effective, organized and productive in their work. Student’s use their laptops and powerful software packages to learn how to work productively and stay organized.

In Grade 9, we use the Learning Strategies credit course to polish these skills, and bring them up to the level required for high school level work. In Grades 10-12 teachers monitor student goal setting, organization skills and time management activities, and coach and encourage them to develop their own style of staying organized, productive and effective at managing their time.

The world works with computers, the internet, and various software applications that help people organize information and communicate with others. Students need to master these tools, and learn how to use them to their best advantage in all their daily work. It must become second nature. At the same time, the internet is largely unregulated, and is filled with many distractions, and even dangers. Schools need to find a way to put these powerful tools into the hands of their students to enhance their learning and productivity, while at the same time minimizing the risks inherent in them.

At North Toronto Academy we’ve come up with what we think is the best possible balance in our Student computer program. Students receive a computer, provided by the school, and configured with all required software. The machine is provided “on loan” to students for the duration of their stay at the school, and they are encouraged to take it home with them for homework and personal use.

Students are not permitted to install any software on the machine, and the school reserves the right to inspect the machine at any time. If there is evidence the machine has been used inappropriately (in contravention of NTA rules) the student may lose the use of the machine and other progressive disciplinary action may be taken. Students are not permitted to bring their own computers to school. NTA fees include a technology fee for this service.