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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I'm going to sidestep the Canada vs. Ugly Americans thing/socialism vs. capitalism thing going on in this thread, and try to answer your question. I grew up in Toronto. I went to public schools all the way through and did not know a soul who went to private school until I went to university. There just weren't many people who sent their kids to private schools at that time (1980s). I'm sure things are different these days though.

My understanding from my friends who still live in Toronto is that the "big deal" private schools in Toronto are Upper Canada College, Bishop Strachan, St. Michael's, and the University of Toronto School (UTS). Of all of these schools, Upper Canada College is the only one I knew about when I was growing up because it was the school where wealthy politicians sent their children. At that time UTS was still I think a public school that you had to test to get into -- I believe that now it is a private school but you may still have to test to get into UTS.[/quote]

UTS used to be semi-private, partly funded by the province, and is now entirely private.  Still not a good comparator to DC private schools.  The others (I'd add Havergal and the Toronto French School) are more similar.   UCC is an all boys school.

There's a huge difference in the college/university scene in the U.S. vs Canada which contributes to a much more pressured environment in secondary schools in the U.S.  While Canadian universities do have elite honors programs, in general there aren't that many universities in the country, and they are much easier to get into, relatively speaking, than top U.S. schools.  I think that has a trickle down effect into high schools and probably even younger, changing the culture of private schools.  Kids at Canadian high schools aren't focused on getting into college the way they are in the U.S.  There are also grade cutoffs for many universities, so you often have a pretty good idea of where you can and can't get in in advance.

I went to private school in Toronto growing up, also the 1980s.  The private schools were quite popular then, but of course since I was at one that may have just been my perception.[/quote]

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