Located just across the Canadian border on picturesque Vancouver Island, Shawnigan Lake School has a history of welcoming American students dating back to the 1950s, with particularly strong representation from across the Pacific Northwest.

 

One of Canada’s premier boarding schools, Shawnigan offers a unique experience, immersing students in a 24-hour educational environment where academics are enhanced by exceptional opportunities in the arts, sports, and student life. It is so often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and boarding schools like Shawnigan function as a self-sufficient village with the specific goal of raising students to become conscientious, upstanding leaders. 
 
 “We chose Shawnigan Lake School for our children’s high school journey for several reasons: we highly regard the whole student approach Shawnigan takes, emphasizing academic excellence, arts, sports and leadership opportunities in a beautiful, supportive and stimulating environment,” says a Bellevue parent who has two children currently attending the School. 
 
 “Secondly, Shawnigan brings students from all over the world together on its campus creating a unique environment where students celebrate cultural differences and foster their global citizenship. Finally, we value the depth of life skills our children are developing from their Shawnigan experience: independence, problem-solving, self-advocacy, and above all the deep relationships they have across campus with their friends, teachers, advisors, coaches and House Directors. Shawnigan is a magical place and we feel incredibly lucky to have found it for our children.”

 

Founded in 1916, Shawnigan is open to students in 8th to 12th grades and is dedicated to providing a learning community that fosters personal excellence for each and every student. Dedicated to a rigorous academic program, Shawnigan blends the best from traditional education with the contemporary skills of 21st century learning. With outstanding teachers dedicated to every student at the School, stimulating AP curriculum, a low student-to-teacher ratio, and Learning Centre specialists helping students with learning differences achieve their optimal academic success, the School ensures that every student is challenged and supported.

 

A significant part of Shawnigan’s commitment to cultivating outstanding young individuals involves preparing students for the next step in their lives. Teachers, advisors, and the University Guidance Office work together with students to find the best fit for them once they leave Shawnigan. Shawnigan sends graduates to top universities around the world, including many of the finest American institutions. Recent Shawnigan graduates have gone on to Harvard, Yale, Brown, the University of Washington, UC Berkeley and other Californian campuses, liberal arts colleges, Hidden Ivies, and Oxford and Cambridge in the UK. By having taken “the road less traveled,” American students who attend Shawnigan are at an advantage when they apply to US colleges and universities.

 

Other benefits of boarding at Shawnigan include:

 

• An intense academic experience with round-the-clock mentorship from staff members and fellow students – because many staff members are on campus at all times, they have time to spend with students outside of the academic arena, getting to know them and nurturing them outside of the classroom

 

• Students learn responsibility, accountability, and self-discipline, and become more independent, self-reliant and self-assured

 

• Students have socialization opportunities with peers of different genders, ages and backgrounds, which helps them learn communication, empathy, humility, respect, teamwork and collaboration, which are essential skills in the workplace and life – opportunities abound for service and work in the community outside the school gates as well

 

• Long-lasting traditions are upheld, such as communal dining, the house system, inter-house competition, school gatherings twice a week, and uniforms

 

• There is more integration of cross-curricular programs because students have extra time at school — sports, arts, and other activities, on and off campus, are intrinsic to academic success and physical, mental, and emotional health

 

• Safety of students is paramount, both in terms of keeping the campus secure and providing constant supervision and care for students

 

• Students are held accountable when they make poor choices, with regard to academics, school rules, and their interactions with other students, and staff are intentional in turning these moments into opportunities for learning and growth

 

The School’s location provides unique opportunities in itself. On the shores of beautiful Shawnigan Lake, the campus is also just minutes from the coastline of the Salish Sea, where students can kayak and learn about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest environment. The location lends itself to exceptional experiential education and co-curricular opportunities: Shawnigan is the only school in British Columbia with its own on-site salmon hatchery, and also boasts a research-grade observatory and professional-standard film production and broadcasting facilities.
 
 Athletics have been part of the fabric of Shawnigan Lake School since its founding, and the School has outstanding facilities for ice hockey, rowing, rugby, field hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and squash among other sports. Formal partnerships with the Canadian national rugby and rowing programs and national-level coaching strengthen its athletic programs. 

Just a short distance from Seattle by car and ferry, or by plane, Shawnigan offers an exceptional education, and with the exchange rate strongly favoring the US dollar, the boarding school experience becomes even more cost-effective.

With the largest number of full-time boarders of any school in Canada, boarding life is the cornerstone of a Shawnigan experience. The unique Shawnigan Journey purposefully guides students through a distinct, unparalleled, and bold educational experience, presenting young people with the opportunity to develop strong communication and teamwork skills, self-advocacy, resilience, autonomy, and compassion. 
 
 Come and visit! 
 
Please contact Gaynor Samuel, Executive Director of Admissions, at