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

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.

Read more: Canada’s high schools are underfunded and turning to international tuition to help 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.

Exempt from post-secondary caps International education is lucrative.

International students in Canada spend more than $37.2 billion in tuition and expenses annually.

International education can be mutually beneficial for education providers, local economies and students seeking options for study across the world.

However, the recent Canadian government caps on international student numbers in higher education have been introduced ostensibly to “ease the strain on housing, health care and other services.” International secondary students are exempt from these caps, and the market for private schools that cater to their needs is growing.

Some marketing websites for international secondary schools advertise how international children aged 12 to 17 can fly into Toronto’s Pearson International Airport alone.

Airport pickup services are available to take students to accommodation, which is also arranged by schools.