Lakefield College School（雷克湖学校）is a private, coeducational boarding and day school in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada, enrolling students in grades 9 through 12. For international families weighing Canadian boarding schools, this guide pulls together what the school’s own website publishes about its programs, entry requirements, fees and the application support that runs from first inquiry to arrival on campus. Every figure below was read from the school’s official pages and documents on 5 August 2026; where the school does not publish a number — there is no published English minimum score, for example — this guide says so plainly instead of guessing.
Who Lakefield College School is
Lakefield College Schooltraces its roots to 1879, when Sparham Sheldrake founded The Grove Preparatory School for Boys on a 25-acre property with room for fifteen students; the school later opened its doors to girls and kept the nickname “The Grove,” and its website lists four Rhodes Scholars among its alumni. Today the school describes itself as a private boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12, located at 4391 County Road 29, Lakefield, Ontario, with one of the largest waterfront campuses among Canadian boarding schools. The main campus is joined by the Northcote Campus, a 160-acre property donated in 2007 and transformed since 2020 into a regenerative educational farm.
Scale and attention are the two numbers families ask about first. The school’s own FAQ states that 425 students attend, roughly 290 boarding and 135 day, representing more than 40 countries and eight Canadian provinces; the teacher-to-student ratio is 7:1, with average class sizes around 14. The school’s mission, as published, is to challenge and enable students to reach their individual potential in mind, body and spirit — a phrasing that explains why athletics, outdoor education and leadership show up so prominently alongside academics.
Programs and the Ontario curriculum
The immediate academic objective at Lakefield College Schoolis university entrance. The curriculum follows the guidelines of the Ontario Ministry of Education: an Ontario Secondary School Diploma requires eighteen compulsory credits and twelve elective credits, including English, French as a Second Language, mathematics, science, Canadian history and geography, the arts, physical and health education, civics and career studies, plus a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement and a pass on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. The school’s website reports that 100% of last year’s graduating class was accepted at university, with 80% accepted by the university of their choice — its own claim, cited as such.
For students aiming beyond the diploma, the school offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses through the College Board program, including Art and Design, Language and Composition, Literature and Composition, Seminar, Research, Microeconomics, Comparative Government and Politics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1, Statistics, Calculus, Computer Science Principles and French, together with the AP Capstone Diploma. A typical weekday combines academics, athletics, co-curricular and community activities, and university counselling runs as an ongoing process rather than a senior-year service. The school also publishes the Class of 2023’s areas of study — 34 in humanities and social sciences, 22 in business and commerce, 20 in science and health sciences, 15 in engineering — as a window into where its graduates tend to head.
Entry requirements for international students
International applications to Lakefield College Schoolgo through the school’s online application on the Parent Portal. The published checklist includes year-end academic report cards from the past two years and a recent mid-term report card from the current year, a confidential teacher reference form, a parent or guardian statement, and a VIA Character Strengths survey. Students whose first language is not English must also submit a Duolingo English Test score; the school does not publish a minimum score, so families should treat the requirement as proof of readiness rather than a number to target. Once the application and report cards are received, applicants take an entrance interview of roughly 45 minutes with the Admissions Team, and the school endeavours to provide a decision within two weeks of a completed process.
Two structural facts matter for planning. First, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis for enrolment pending availability of space, or for wait-pool consideration — there is no published deadline, and the school says spaces are limited, so earlier is better. Second, the application fee is 300 Canadian dollars, one-time and non-refundable. For students under 18, the school’s documents require a Custodian Declaration Form signed by both parents and notarized; if a family cannot source a custodian, an appointed member of the school’s leadership team provides custodianship. The study-permit application should be started before enrolment, and the approval letter is presented at the first port of entry into Canada.
Costs for the 2026/27 school year
Lakefield College Schoolpublishes 2026/27 fees in Canadian dollars, split by residency status. International boarding tuition is $90,800; international day tuition is $52,200, and day applicants must live with a parent or legal guardian. Tuition covers the academic program, meals, facility use, compulsory field trips, outdoor education training, library services, basic healthcare and infirmary supplies, and travel and admission to athletic and cultural events; boarders additionally receive accommodation and laundry. On top of tuition, international students pay a $300 application fee and a one-time, non-refundable $5,000 registration fee; the Tuition Refund Insurance Plan is estimated at $1,700, a laptop and tech package purchased through the school runs about $2,900, and non-OHIP international health insurance is estimated at $750 for 12 months. Two payment plans are available, late payments accrue at 16% per annum, and the school suggests a weekly allowance of about $30 for incidentals.
Financial assistance exists and is worth knowing before the sticker price discourages anyone. The school’s FAQ states that one in three students receives some form of tuition assistance, most bursaries range between $4,000 and $15,000, and roughly $2.0 million is distributed annually. The Entrance Awards of Distinction program covers categories from academics, outdoor education, athletics and the arts to musical theatre, team racing (sailing), Nordic skiing, community service and leadership; the school flags limited availability and advises applying early. For context, Canadian and US boarding tuition is $81,100 and Canadian day tuition $44,200, which shows the international premium and the value of checking award eligibility.
Application support and student life
The support layer at Lakefield College Schoolis what connects an accepted application to an arrival that works. The school’s international student pages describe immigration assistance covering the initial study permit, study permit extensions and Canadian visa (TRV) applications; student guardianship in Canada; and the choice between OHIP and the International Student Medical Plan for students without OHIP coverage. Boarding life runs through smaller houses — the school describes its houses as among the smallest of CAIS member schools, with Ondaatje House and Ryder House among them — and meals are served in the Winder Smith Dining Hall, with breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, brunch on Sunday, and a tuck shop on weekdays.
Outdoor education is a genuine pillar rather than an add-on: the school operates a formal outdoor education program with expeditions ranging from nearby rivers, lakes and woods to Algonquin Park, and through the expedition program to the Northwest Territories and international destinations. Athletics, arts, debate, sailing and Nordic skiing sit alongside the THRIVE leadership program, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and a global learning program with trips, student exchanges and expeditions. The 2026/27 calendar published by the school shows Grade 12 students arriving September 8, new students in grades 9-11 arriving September 10, breaks at Thanksgiving, November, December, February, March and May, and graduation and closing ceremonies on June 19.
Plan before you apply
Looking at Lakefield College Schoolas an international family means budgeting three layers, not one: tuition and fees at the 2026/27 published rates; one-time costs such as the $5,000 registration fee, the tuition refund insurance, a laptop package and health insurance; and the slower-moving requirements of study permits, guardianship and medical coverage, which are governed by Canadian rules rather than the school’s fees. Because admission is rolling and the school notes that spaces are limited, the practical sequence is to complete the online application early, line up report cards and the teacher reference, take the Duolingo English Test, and treat the entrance interview as a genuine two-way conversation about fit.
This guide reflects the school’s own published pages and documents as of 5 August 2026. Fees are the 2026/27 figures; deadlines, visa rules and costs change quickly, so confirm against the school’s current pages and official Canadian sources before acting. If you would like to weigh Lakefield College School’s fit against your child’s grade, English level and family budget, our advisers can walk through the specifics with you.