Queen Margaret's School

Queen Margaret’s School (QMS) is a trailblazing Preschool to Grade 12 university-preparatory school, with boarding offered for Grades 6 through 12. Located on 27 wooded west coast acres, the QMS campus is walking distance to the picturesque town of Duncan in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. The Cowichan Valley enjoys Canada’s warmest mean temperature and is a spectacular setting of towering forests, abundant beaches, and sheltered bays, perfect for hiking, cycling, swimming and other outdoor activities. With an on-campus riding and academic Equestrian Program, QMS offers unique opportunities for students.

Three signature programming strategies guide our faculty in the delivery of an enriched curriculum:

• Experiential and Inquiry-Based Learning
• Entrepreneurial Thinking and Global Sustainability
• Equine Facilitated Leadership Development

As a globally-minded community, QMS promises an exceptional and rigorous education that builds new generations of confident leaders of character and compassion empowered to create a more just and connected world.

New world. New challenges. New learning.

Queen Margaret's School (QMS)

At QMS we focus on each student and their strengths, empowering them to achieve personal excellence. We accomplish this through the delivery of an innovative curriculum and by providing a variety of opportunities in athletics, equestrian, academics, service and fine arts programs.

We encourage you to explore all that Queen Margaret’s School has to offer your children.

EXPLORE THE WEST COAST

Situated in the Cowichan Valley on beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia, QMS offers the safety of a secure campus and the vibrancy of a welcoming community. The Valley offers some of the most beautiful scenery on Canada’s west coast, with easy access to stunning mountains for hiking and biking as well as pristine lakes and rivers for swimming. With world-renowned ski hills, surfing, and kayaking only a short distance away, students can easily enjoy an active lifestyle. All students in Grades 8-12 participate in week-long Outdoor Education trips to the famous Strathcona Provincial Park, BC’s oldest provincial park.

The QMS campus is walking distance to shopping, entertainment and recreational facilities in the city of Duncan. Our close proximity to Nanaimo and Victoria ensures our boarding students can enjoy the shopping, great restaurants, concerts, theatres and sporting events these cities have to offer. Our Residence Activity Club always has something exciting planned for boarding students on the weekends and during holidays.

ACADEMICS

At Queen Margaret's School, students are positioned to be architects of their own learning and empowered to achieve beyond any perceived limitations to their potential. Small class sizes allow students greater access to teachers and individualized attention. Boys and girls benefit from an Academic Advisor, who helps guide them through the exploration of post-secondary options around the world, completing their applications and ensuring students make an informed decision on this next important step. QMS students enjoy 100% acceptance to post-secondary institutions each year.

In addition to a full selection of academic courses, QMS offers students the opportunity to develop personal excellence through a variety of enriched programs, including:

• A wide selection of Advanced Placement (AP) courses, that enable students to complete university credits during their high school years
• An English Language Learner Program (ELL)
• A unique on-site Equestrian Program
• Emphasis on Experiential and Inquiry Based Learning approaches in all of our classes
• Courses that encourage Entrepreneurial Thinking and Global Sustainability
• Additional courses are offered in a diverse range of areas, including Outdoor Education, Model United Nations, Design Thinking, Japanese, Leadership, Chamber Orchestra, Acting and 11 new equestrian based academic courses.

SERVICE

QMS is dedicated to helping students develop both academically and as leaders of character, with a commitment to community service. Volunteering and service to others have always been the heart of a QMS education. As such, we embrace the opportunity to effect positive change in our local and global communities. All students in Grades 8 through 12 complete a minimum of 20 hours of community service each year.

Our students contribute time and skills to worthwhile programs such as:

• Big Sisters Program
• Me to We
• The Cowichan Food Basket Society
• Cowichan Intercultural Society
• BC Children’s Hospital

BOARDING LIFE

Our welcoming on-campus residence, just steps from class, is home to 95 students from Canada and around the world. All boarding students quickly learn valuable life skills, such as independence and time management, while enjoying a variety of leadership opportunities and fun social activities which build strong positive peer relationships.

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

Our comprehensive Fine Arts program provides students with curricular and co-curricular opportunities for artistic development in the visual and performing arts. Our goal is to develop collaboration, self-confidence, creativity, and communication skills via theatrical productions, musical recitals, and art exhibitions.

The visual arts programs includes Advanced Placement (AP) course options, perfect for students preparing for entry into domestic and international schools of art, design, and architecture.

ATHLETICS

QMS believes in educating the whole child and so makes a wide variety of athletic and wellness activities available to students. Our School participates in numerous local athletics associations, providing students with the opportunity to develop their skills and compete in both team and individual sports.

The QMS Royals have competitive teams in:

can enjoy a wide range of sports and activities. The QMS Royals have competitive teams in:

RECREATIONAL SPORTS & CLUBS

Health and wellness is also encouraged through numerous clubs for on and off-campus activities, maximising our easy access to the extraordinary natural setting of the Cowichan Valley. 

EQUESTRIAN

• Queen Margaret’s School is the only school in Canada with an on-campus, integrated English riding program. At QMS, young riders’ aspirations are encouraged and their efforts are celebrated by certified coaches and academic faculty. Our 27-acre campus is home to 400 students and more than 40 horses.
• At Queen Margaret's School, your child will develop confidence in the stables, the saddle, and in the classroom. Our faculty and staff recognize the commitment of highly ambition athletes and performers. We work with our students to balance their demanding external athletic or performance schedules with their academic life.
• Students in Grades 3-12 may choose to ride within their weekly timetable, earn credits toward graduation and work through their Equestrian Canada rider levels.
• Students may ride a school horse or bring a horse to board at school.
• To meet the demand of a diverse equestrian focused community, our Senior School academic program offers an exciting range of equestrian related courses each year, including topics such as horse training, animal husbandry, and pre-veterinary exploration
• In our Equine Facilitated Leadership Program, horses serve as co-teachers for students to hone character and leadership skills. Through both hands-on and reflective groundwork exercises with horses, students explore the direct correlation between how they show up to and approach a situation, goal, or relationship and the results that follow.

CONTACT US

Queen Margaret’s School welcomes your questions about our school. QMS is home to a warm and welcoming family community. Choosing the right school for your child is a big decision, and our Admissions team is here to help.

Queen Margaret's School
660 Brownsey Avenue
Duncan, British Columbia, V9L 1C2
Canada
www.qms.bc.ca
T: 250 746-4185 | admissions@qms.bc.ca

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