While considered one of Vancouver's schools of "hard knocks", this racially diverse high school is…read moreactually quite safe, provided that you aren't in of one the gangs. With nerds, jocks, and everything in between, students tend to dress differently and are less likely to conform to any one standard of behavior. Gone is the "who's cool" rule of thumb, with geeks taking pride in their good grades and thugs content to only harass other thugs. Not that popularity isn't an issue, it's just that the school is so large and things are so diverse that nobody really cares about the people they don't know personally. With a great selection of electives like metal works, electronics, band class, hairdressing etc..., it definitely delivers on the technical trades, and has everything from French Immersion for stuck-ups to the Nova program for last chance drop-outs. I recommend CPTV (Video) with Mr. Grenier, Electronics with Mr. Fruing, and the railway tracks behind the field for smoking lunch time doobies.

Most of the structure of this former junior high school and later adult education centre has been…read moredemolished. A small office section for the District remains. The playing fields, particularly the grass field, are well maintained except for a couple of holes in the fence, where dogs and people can sneak onto the grass. (The grass field is open by reservation only and has a nice surface for rugby, soccer and softball.) The lighted compact gravel fields are sometimes used for youth soccer practice, but can get pretty soggy after heavy rains. Lots of people bring their dogs up to the gravel fields to play and roam off leash. There are some nice trails that lead down to and along McKay Creek, which dogs and people enjoy. I also appreciate the parking and the garbage bins where I can dispose of dog poo. Every dog owner I have met has been very friendly as are the fans who watch the sports.

This school is going over the top with perhaps the best teachers in the province teaching our kids…read moreonline during the Covid-19 situation. They have even dropped off learning materials at our home on weekends. A first rate supportive atmosphere, teachers with Masters degrees and an extremely low student to teacher ratio.

I was a teacher (directress) at Cornerstone Montessori for 3 years, teaching Kindergarten, grades 2…read moreand 3. I left when I opened my own Preschool/ Kindergarten. As a new teacher I learned many skills from my wonderful co-teachers and learned qualities of generosity, caring and trust from the principal Rita Gausman. All through the years I have kept in touch with Rita Gausman and benefitted from her wisdom in managing my own Montessori classrooms. I cherish my days of teaching at Cornerstone and the valuable qualities of work ethics, cooperation and kindness learned from Rita and Helga. Way to go Cornerstone Montessori!

A foreign student wanna to make bad review of the highly respected school, eventhough that person…read morehas a very low level of English (see that review coment with foul words, grammar, vocabulary, etc...).

This school destroy the students and put them on lower levels it's too bad for the international…read morestudents please don't come if you new. I swear to god I was in another school in Vancouver and they put me on grade 10 regular on math here they put me as ELL 3 and the grade 10 regular was easy for me and that ELL is bullshits it's like the grade 5 and i'm 17 i talked to the couselair who should listen and help me he said i have no power and the teacher doesn't even respond.

the school is staffed by exceptionally competent, amazing and caring staff. All of my kids have…read moregone through the school so I have lots of diverse experience of the school. The school is bright and divided into 3 connected pods, great-sized library, computer lab, and a gym, with state of the art stage and sound system, and wheel chair accessibility to the whole school and bathrooms. The Principal, along with the PAC have managed to create a resourceful Community that supports the students and their needs. I just wish the school was designed with air-conditioning.

Great school for families who see the their kids as future as LGBTQ+ non-profit workers or BLM…read moreactivists. From the kindergarten grade kids are emerged in a world of gender studies, trans awareness and race activism. Each year school dedicates more and more academic hours to social justice curriculum, moral and political Issues. Kids are encouraged to explore and discuss their gender and sexuality. The school is dedicated to provide the goal of turning young minds into good global citizens. The curriculum is strongly influenced by Critical Race Theory and SOGI pedagogy. School library is labeled as "Safe space" and holds a wide range of feminist literature.

This is a high school located in South Burnaby. It is connected to Michael J Fox Theater. There are…read moreplenty of guest parking. It is a pretty big school with two gym.

We love Madrona! This is a small school nestled in Kitsilano…read morethat has small class sizes and amazing programming for the kids. The school is super friendly, and a real community. What they lack in facilities, they make up for with their wholehearted way of teaching. My son has been here for one year and loves his school so much.

I'm not a big Yelp reviewer, but the few reviews here leave a very skewed view of the school, which…read moreis a huge disservice to families who need an honest review of the school. Madrona was a game-changer for my kid and I can't imagine the student he would have become if he'd stayed at his public school or even gone to a different independent school. Unlike the negative review, this was the best time and money our family has ever invested. It's not for "just" bright and gifted kids - it serves neurodivergent kids who are also bright/gifted. A lot of the students come with particular challenges that are typical of people with this profile - asynchronous development (including often slower socioemotional development) is pretty common. If your child is "just" bright/gifted, it's probably not the school for you. The kids who need Madrona would fall flat on their faces at a regular independent school like St. George's (which is awesome for neurotypical kids!) because the struggles they have wouldn't be attended to sufficiently; they would just fall between the cracks. The staff at Madrona also work so hard to meet families' needs, and bend with them as they change. Will there be bumps? Of course. There are bumps at any school. If you're considering the school for your 2E child, go to an open house or ask for a tour. Everyone wants their kids to grow and do well there, and it is small enough that different personalities and needs can be accommodated. Again, nothing is perfect, but my kid and most of other kids in his classes over the years grew in ways that wouldn't have been possible in schools designed for neurotypical students. Most kids go to Madrona because their home school/other schools can't meet their needs. Madrona goes above and beyond to do this. I can't express how grateful my family is to have found this tiny school and how much it has changed my kid's trajectory in every way.