University of Toronto Schools

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University of Toronto Schools

Where the person you are becomes the person you were meant to be. An independent school for high-ach

UTS:
• was founded in 1910.
• is a co-educational school affiliated with the University of Toronto.
• has approximately 640 students (an equal number of boys and girls), in grades 7-12.
• offers a liberal arts and science curriculum and stresses a rich and balanced academic program.
• has rich and varied athletic and extracurricular programs (including community service).
• strives to encourage excellence and leadership among its diverse student group.
• has a committed teaching staff (many of whom hold graduate degrees) and involved parent and alumni groups.
• graduates receive OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma) and a UTS Diploma. In addition:
• On average, 95% UTS grads become Ontario Scholars and 80% of graduates receive university scholarship offers.
• Many of our 6000 grads have been outstandingly successful in a wide range of fields. In addition, 22 graduates are Rhodes scholars and two Nobels have been awarded to alumni: a Nobel Laureate in Economics in 2001, and a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1986.

09/21/2026

University of Toronto Schools (UTS) endeavors to teach students ethical thinking and moral reasoning that creates strong global citizens, but how do we know we are succeeding?
Enter Dr. Lydia Cao, an assistant professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She worked with UTS Geography Teacher Mike Farley to research how his use of the digital game Quandary effectively teaches ethics. Lydia also delved into how Mike – a seasoned teacher with 24 years’ experience – maximizes the impact of the lesson for his students.

Mike uses Quandary’s “Water Wars” episode, set on the fictional planet of Braxos where students play the leader tasked with finding a solution when the community’s well water goes bad. There's no one right answer. Instead, students score points through the depth of their thinking.

Amplifying research in the field of learning and education is part of the UTS mandate. This project received practical and logistical support from the Eureka! Research Institute at UTS, one of only a few research institutes based on-site at a school in Canada.

Read more about the research project in the blog:
https://ow.ly/P9PI50ZPQWX

09/16/2026

We believe teachers can and should be leaders in the field of education research.

But how do we centre the teacher-as-researcher as a leader in research in an uncertain educational landscape? This driving question inspired the inaugural Eureka! Research Institute at UTS Practitioner Research Symposium, held at UTS in May.

The symposium, attended by more than 50 teachers and researchers across the Greater Toronto Area, showcased the research of public and independent school teachers through a variety of panels and sessions, and provided opportunities to seed new collaborations and partnerships between schools and universities, and teachers and university researchers. Dr. Kim MacKinnon, director of the Eureka! Research Institute at UTS, said “Together, we challenged the assumption that teachers do not contribute to educational research theory, and built a foundation as a knowledge community, committed to providing equitable learning opportunities for all students.”

Organized by Dr. MacKinnon and Dr. Christine Balt, Eureka! research and innovation associate, the event explored current issues in education such as anti-racism in education policy, climate change, the seemingly inescapable challenges to critical and creative thinking posed by AI, and youth mental health issues and well-being. Plans are also under way for the second annual Eureka! Research Institute at UTS Practitioner Research Symposium to be held in spring 2026.

Read about the symposium on the UTS Website.

https://ow.ly/Jcip50ZOhej

09/08/2026

Welcome, students and families, to the start of another exciting year at UTS!

During our opening assembly, Principal Dr. Leanne Foster set an inspiring intention to guide our students into the year ahead: emphasizing the power of empathy and collaboration as we rise to meet new challenges together. She shared the example of how UTS alum Jacob Tsimerman '06, a University of Toronto math professor who won the 2026 Fields Medal – the highest honour in mathematics – spoke in a podcast about the importance of collaborating and human interconnection to his work. “Mathematics at his level is a team sport,” Dr. Foster told our students. “He very rarely worked on things alone – empathy and the ability to work with others were vital to his success.”

Dr. Foster challenged our students: “If empathy and collaboration propelled Dr. Tsimerman to the highest heights of mathematics, what can being a team player do for your learning?”

Here’s to a foundation of working together, supporting one another and learning together. Welcome back, UTS! It’s going to be a great year.

08/11/2026

How can immersive eco-theatre make it easier for students to explore ecological issues such as climate change in class and reduce anxiety or despair?

For the final performance of the M3 (grade 9) drama class at the end of the school year, students took their original environmentally themed plays to the grounds of University of Toronto’s Robarts Library. From their relationships to trees as children, the cycle of life, their connections to seasons and much more, their plays used immersive theatre techniques to involve the audience and incorporate sensory experiences such as smell, sound and taste, while using the great outdoors as their theatre.

One group invited the audience to eat fruit, another gave flowers to wear and a third led a mini-rave. “They used sensory elements to try and get the audience to really experience feeling connected to nature, whether it's the seasons or outdoor space,” says UTS Drama Teacher Dr. Chistine Balt, also the research and innovation associate at the Eureka! Research Institute at UTS, one of a few research institutes based on site at a school in Canada.

The eco-theatre performances formed the basis of research underway by Dr. Balt and drama teachers Melissa Shaddick and Gabrielle Kemeny, through the Eureka! Research Institute at UTS, with funding from the Canadian Association for Independent Schools’ School Innovation Grant.

“We’re exploring how drama can be used to connect students to environmental topics,” says Dr. Balt. “When we talk about issues such as climate change and the environment in class, it can sometimes seem scary for students and shut down the conversation. We explore environmental topics in different ways by focusing on Indigenous land-based relationships, and connections to land.”

While the research is being compiled, anecdotal evidence from students on the day showed it’s a lot of fun!

07/23/2026

University of Toronto Schools is beyond thrilled to announce that Jacob Tsimerman '06 has been awarded the 2026 Fields Medal, the highest honour in mathematics, for his work proving the André-Oort conjecture, a problem that stood unsolved for nearly 40 years. The medal was founded by the late John Charles Fields, also a Canadian scholar and math professor at U of T. Jacob is the first Fields Medalist based at a Canadian institution and the second Canadian to receive the award.

While at UTS, Jacob won two gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad, including a perfect score in 2004. He calls mathematics a "team sport," built on collaboration, friendship, and curiosity rather than solitary genius. From UTS to U of T, then a PhD at Princeton, and now back at U of T as a professor of mathematics and Fields Medal recipient — his path has come full circle.

Congratulations, Jacob. The entire UTS community is so proud of your incredible accomplishments!

Photo: Jacob Tsimerman '06 working with the UTS Math Club in 2015 on Euler's Formula.

Watch a feature on Jacob's journey, and read U of T's announcement.

https://ow.ly/zoSt50Zs5zm

https://ow.ly/xtab50Zs5zp

07/16/2026

University of Toronto Schools (UTS) students are proving that innovation doesn’t need to wait for high school graduation. During the 2025-26 school year, UTS high school student S5 (grade 11) Edlyn successfully pitched a business on Dragon’s Den. S5 Rhiya spoke at the United Nations about the TerraWash Machine, an electricity-free washing machine she created to alleviate time poverty for women and girls in Guyana and around the world, who spend hours of their day doing laundry by hand. S6 (grade 12) students John and Declan continued to work in their innovative VFX special effects and animation business, flying to Los Angeles and New York City to consult on projects.

For these students, innovation begins with looking closely at the world around them, identifying challenges and opportunities, and imagining new ways forward.

Read their stories on the UTS blog:

https://ow.ly/OMKg50ZoAPX

07/10/2026

Robotics is thriving at UTS in exciting and collaborative ways!

The UTS Robotics co-curricular program experienced major growth in the 2025-26 school year, with team members increasing from about 20 the previous year to about 80. In the fall, UTS hired a robotics program director – Owain Jones – and gave students a dedicated room to build their robots. The support for the program paid off. Four teams competed this year: the UTS A and B teams, a middle school team and a dedicated girls’ team, with the UTS A team and the middle school team taking it all the way to the VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri this April!

The world championships became a true team effort. A month before Worlds, UTS Team A Bello Bello! decided to wipe the slate clean and create a completely new robot design, calling on the strength of the UTS Robotics team to make it happen. The team came together in true collaborative spirit, working around the clock to get ready in time for worlds and about 40 team members went to St. Louis and experienced the excitement of this incredible competition. Team co-president Emerson says: “For us the accomplishment is getting there because we know how hard it is to do that, and doing our best to constantly improve and perform well on the world stage. We're grateful that we've been able to go for three years in a row.”

If that’s not enough, Robotics co-presidents Anson, Emerson and Daniel launched March Break and summer Robotics camps that give a VEX Robotics crash course in just one week, and also dedicated some of the places to underrepresented groups.

Read the story about the UTS Robotics Program on the UTS Blog:
https://www.utschools.ca/news/2026-07-10/robotics-program-thriving-at-uts-two-teams-at-worlds-new-camps-and-incredible-teamwork-in-a-crunch

07/07/2026

They’ve delved into the deepest workings of one of the most important diplomatic negotiations in history. They’ve used the power of history to make history. Their advice is sought by the government of our country. When dynasties fall, they determine why. They’ve transformed institutions and brought injustices into the light.

They are the historians. UTS alumni Michael Morgan ’97, Julia Torrie ’91, Catherine Ellis ’89, Andrea Freeman ’86, Timothy Brook ’69 and Adam Chapnick ’94 seek truth in nuances and untold stories, and find discovery on the cutting edge of history.

Read how they are making history in The Historians: A Moment in Time in the latest issue of The Root, the UTS alumni magazine.
utschools.ca/root

07/06/2026

As our world rapidly evolves, the role of academic leadership has never been more complex. Serving as deans at universities across North America, UTS alumni are staying true to their missions in the face of political pressures and accelerated change.

The Deans List: Challenge and Change at the Helm of Academia is the cover story of the latest issue of The Root, UTS alumni magazine.

Every day on the job brings exciting challenges for Lesleigh Cushing ’89, provost and dean of the faculty at Colgate University; Chris Essert ’97, dean of the University of Toronto’s Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law; Jennifer Andrews ’89, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Dalhousie University; and Kevin Davis ’87, former vice dean for global affairs at New York University.

In the age of artificial intelligence they stay true to their very human mission of educating our young people, using their wisdom, integrity and dedication to lead the next generation forward.

Read about the challenges and changes they face in the latest issue of The Root: utschools.ca/root

06/29/2026

The love of learning fostered at UTS thrives in the world of academia. The Academia Issue of The Root, the UTS alumni magazine, features several of our alumni at the vanguard of higher education – from deans steering their faculties through a sea of change to historians seeking a deep understanding of the past to shape a better future.

In the age of artificial intelligence, they stay true to their very human mission of educating the next generation with wisdom, integrity and commitment.. The timeless values they advance are paramount to our future: critical thinking, open discourse, collaboration and innovation.

Read their inspiring stories in the latest issue of The Root, and learn how deans and historians are shaping the future through their enduring commitment to the power of education.

https://www.utschools.ca/uts-community/alumni/the-root

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