A public school board, Limestone offers a wide variety of program choices and activities which aim to develop the whole child. The original capital city of Canada and home to Canada’s first prime minister, Kingston is rich in Canadian history. Kingston is also consistently recognized as one of the top places in Canada in which to live.
A Student City
As the home of Queen’s University, Royal Military College of Canada, St. Lawrence College, and Innovation Park, Kingston attracts top students from across Canada and around the world, helping to make Kingston a vibrant, innovative community.
There is No Better Place to Learn English
While Kingston’s high quality of life and educational opportunities attract people from around the world, English is the dominant language spoken in Kingston. It is an excellent environment for becoming immersed in English.
Secondary Schools
Limestone places international high school students primarily at two schools in Kingston. Bayridge Secondary School and Loyalist Collegiate Vocational Institute offer English as a Second Language (ESL) support.
Bayridge Secondary School, Student population: Approximately 700
Loyalist Collegiate Vocational Institute, Student population: Approximately 700
LaSalle Secondary School, Student population: Approximately 650
Frontenac Secondary School, Student population: Approximately 880
Kingston Secondary School, Student population: Approximately 1000
Napanee District Secondary School, Student population: Approximately 900
Sydenham High School, population 850
Limestone welcomes international students into its secondary school program, which spans from Grade 9 (age 14) to Grade 12 (age 18). There are six Limestone high schools in Kingston. Study options include single semester (five months), full academic year (September to June), and multi-year enrollment for students who are aiming to graduate and continue to post-secondary studies in Canada. High school students are expected to carry a full course load of four classes per day. Classes are 75 minutes in length.
English as a Second Language
Students whose English skills are not yet strong enough to meet the expectations of the regular Canadian classroom must take ESL classes, which are offered by Bayridge Secondary and Loyalist Collegiate. ESL is offered at five different levels.
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs
Limestone offers the Advanced Placement program at Loyalist Collegiate, and the senior years IB program at Kingston Secondary. To be eligible, international students must demonstrate a record of strong academic achievement and a high degree of English fluency. We welcome international student inquiries about these two programs.
Program Established: 1996
Programs Offered: Full Year, 1 Semester, August Summer Camp
Language(s) of Study: English, French
Total number of schools: 10 Secondary Schools, 47 Elementary Schools
High schools for international students: 11
Total Students: 19,000
Total International Students: 140
International Students Accepted for Grades: K-12
Nearest Airport: Toronto International Airport
The Limestone DSB is located at the mouth of Lake Ontario, where the St. Lawrence River and Cataraqui River meets. With a population of approximately 140,000, Kingston combines a small-town feel with many large-city amenities. Kingston is minutes away from the world-famous Thousand Islands and the Rideau Canal. Kingston is a stunning, historic city that consistently ranks as one of the most beautiful and desirable places to live in Canada. The home of Queen’s University, Royal Military College of Canada, and St. Lawrence College, Kingston attracts many students from around the world. Limestone DSB has many support and integration study programs with these local institutions. Kingston is home to a wealth of burgeoning green technologies and alternate energy sectors. Kingston has a vibrant music, festival, arts and ‘foodie’ scene Kingston also boasts the most restaurants per capita in Canada.
Kingston is home to several UNESCO World Heritage sites; Fort Henry, the Kingston Fortifications and the Rideau Canal. Bellevue House was the home of Sir John A. Macdonald, the father of Confederation and Canada’s first Prime Minister. Kingston owns the best freshwater sailing harbour in North America and was the site of the 1976 Olympic sailing events.
We are proud at Limestone of providing high-quality homestays for our International students. Our program is run by our local International Education Office. We are pleased to have our Homestay Coordinators connected to our community, host students and be active in our schools. Our coordinators plan activities, are always in the schools and are readily available to assist our students. We believe strongly that the best homestay programs are run by local communities members, with a strong knowledge of the community and local schools.
Kingston is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in Canada. You will find many of our homestay families are active in the community in many ways all year around. Being that Kingston has a population of just over 125,000 we have all of the amenities of a larger urban centre, but with a small-town feel.
Limestone offers 6 activity trips per year to see other locations in Ontario including; Toronto, Niagara Falls, a Raptors Basketball game, skiing, Wilderness Camping, and Winterlude in Ottawa. These activities are included in the price of the program.
Kingston is an active city year around. Being on the shores of Lake Ontario, there is an active boating and sailing community outside of the Winter months. Our students also are close to activities in the Canadian Shield. Hiking, boating, skiing, skating, maple syrup production and outdoor activities abound. Frontenac Provincial Park is steps away as is Lamoine’s point and Little Cataraqui conversation areas.
All students that are studying in a Kingston secondary school with have opportunities to learn and play sports in our sports league that features over twenty-three different sports from Volleyball to Field Hockey, from Tennis to Curling. We encourage any International student to be a part of either a sports team or one of many clubs in the schools.
Our district has two very unique features as well when it comes to activities. First, all students studying at a secondary school within the Limestone DSB get use of a free unlimited Kingston City Transit bus pass. This is an outstanding way to see Kingston and get around our extremely safe city. Second, all grade nine students get a free City activity pass to local gyms, skating rinks, pools and fitness facilities. Our partnership with the City of Kingston in both of these programs is very successful.
Entrance Dates: September, February, Summer Programs (June, July, August)
Application Deadlines: April 15th or until full, November 15th (some conditions apply, contact the International Education Office for details)
Application Fee: $250
Full Year Tuition Fee: $13,600
1 Semester Tuition Fee: $6,800
Annual Homestay Placement Fee: $400
Homestay Monthly Fee: $1,050
Annual Health Insurance Fee: $550
Program Fee: $1850 Full year, $925 1 Semester (includes activities, monitoring, custodianship, program fees, city transit)
All funds are in Canadian dollars
General Inquiries Email: international@limestone.on.ca
Websites: internationaled.limestone.on.ca/
Mailing Address: 164 Van Order Drive
City: Kingston
Province: Ontario
Postal Code: K7M 1C1
Phone: 1-613- 544-7745
Facebook: www.facebook.com/limestoneinternational
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