The private school market serving international secondary students in Ontario has grown

Relatively understudied compared to post-secondary, with a range from “puppy mills” to more established:

The private secondary education market for international students in Ontario is growing quickly, yet a lack of regulation raises concern about quality as well as children’s safety.

The number of private schools for international students in Ontario has increased by more than 265 per cent since 2017. 

At that time, research found only 48 private schools for international students. Our 2025 research documented 174 schools explicitly targeting international students in a larger dataset of 370 private secondary schools in Toronto.

While government policy and media critique has focused on international university students in Canada, secondary schools have attracted far less attention. 

Our recent research has found that the private secondary education market for international schools in Ontario is concerning. 

Drawing on a “netnography” approach — a qualitative methodology for adapting ethnography for the online world — we analyzed the 174 school websites, examining and coding data about how they market themselves to families from the Global South. 

Among the larger number of secondary schools in our study, we identified 138 as “schools of concern,” with regard to four themes: exploiting the notion of western superiority; selling the Canadian advantage; potentially over-promising students’ safety and care; as well as dubious-quality offerings.

Source: The private school market serving international secondary students in Ontario has grown