Welcome to TNS!

The Toronto New School was born out of a desire to see a richness of experience made available to teenagers looking for a place where they could learn how to think, not what to think. The liberal arts approach to education is the philosophical framework in which our students learn to write their own success stories. The interdisciplinary nature of our school instils a desire in our students to move away from a linear approach to learning and towards one that appreciates the complexities arising from a single idea.

Our Students

Toronto New School students understand that while the fundamentals of any one area of the curriculum must be mastered,
a true appreciation of the beauty of any subject depends critically on its connection to all others. There is no music without mathematics, no math or science without philosophy and no philosophy separate from the history of civilizations. Toronto New School students are tomorrow’s economists and engineers , actors and fashion designers, mathematicians and marine biologists, dancers and anthropologists, political scientists, jazz musicians, historians, and journalists. What binds such a diverse group of students together is their desire to learn, their post-secondary ambitions and the care and attention they give each other as they prepare for what comes next.

It’s all about connecting with teachers and each other

How is TNS different?  The curriculum and culture of the school allow kids to be who they are.  The dramatic result is that teachers connect with students and students connect with each other.  There are no cliques.  No judgments.  No competition. Because our kids are on a first name basis with their teachers, there’s a feeling of trust and accountability that translates into academic performance. Mutual respect comes not from the artificial boundaries that tend to develop in an ordinary school, but instead from the collaborative effort of staff and students in tearing them down.

A learning environment designed for university preparation

Academically, we are proud of our ability to help kids harness their desire to learn, their sense of wonder and their belief in themselves. The challenging content of our courses is a testament to the quality of comprehensive, cross-functional education that we offer. Our goal is to not only have our graduates earn entry into the university of their choice. We give TNS graduates the grounding and self-management tools to thrive when they get there.