Left, a group of St-Basil-the-Great students in school uniform at an assembly. Right, photo of the front foyer of the St. Basil-the-Great Catholic School building.

Our School

About Us

St. Basil-the-Great school logo

St. Basil-the-Great College is a Catholic Secondary School with a long and proud tradition of academic excellence.

The Basilian Fathers founded St. Basil College in 1962, as a boys' boarding school. Today, St. Basil-the-Great College is a co-educational institution and part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), educating young men & women in the Basilian tradition of excellence.

Our school philosophy is embodied in our school motto, Excelsa Petite, which means, “Strive for Excellence”. Thus, at St. Basil our aim is to provide, in a Catholic and Christian environment, the conditions that will enable each student to achieve the maximum possible development – intellectual, physical, spiritual and moral. We hope that our students will grow in an understanding of themselves and of each other. We strive to help each student grow both as an individual and as a responsible member of the community.

Students are expected to be responsible, contributing members of our educational community. They should exert the effort and discipline required to fulfill their potential, and should demonstrate an active respect for God, themselves, others, property and authority.

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The front of the school building.

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

At St. Basil-the-Great College School we are committed to providing a Christian atmosphere, the setting and conditions that will enable students to achieve their maximum intellectual, physical and spiritual potential.

Our students grow in their awareness of societal needs and social justice issues through a variety of activities organized by the religion department and the chaplaincy team. The liturgies and retreats offered through the year provide students with several opportunities for faith development and spiritual growth.

A safe and welcoming learning environment is maintained through a code of behaviour that reflects Board policies and protects students from being subjected to any form of degradation. Staff and students are made aware of these policies on a regular basis and staff is urged to enforce them closely whenever incidents occur.

The curriculum at St. Basil is diverse and challenging and it is constantly reviewed to meet the needs of the students we serve.

A number of new courses have been introduced to diversify the curriculum: business math, environment science, a compulsory computer literacy program for grade 9 students and cooperative education is a new initiative we are pursuing.

Our special education students follow an integrated model of curriculum delivery with modified programming by the special education teachers.

Co-curricular activities range from student council sponsored activities to subject related clubs to a variety of teams and individual sports. Some of them are: student action club, OSAID, yearbook, Italian club, library and the various sports teams such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball that compete at the interscholastic level. All of these activities help enrich and enhance the students' lives at school.

Our School History and Tradition

The school was founded by the Order of St. Basil-the-Great in 1962, as a private boys' boarding school. The emphasis was on preparing young men for university and the professions.

In September 1969, the Order of St. Basil-the-Great entered into an agreement with the Metropolitan Separate School Board, now the Toronto Catholic District School Board, whereby the Board assured responsibility for grades 9 and 10 while grades 11, 12 and 13 remained private under the jurisdiction of the order.

In 1970, the school became a day school and its boarding facilities were eliminated. Girls were also admitted and the school became a co-educational institution.

As full funding became a reality in 1986, the Order of St. Basil passed on the responsibility of administering the school fully to the TCDSB. The school population had grown to about 1000 students.

In 1993, the Ministry of Education and Training assigned funds to the TCDSB to reconstruct St. Basil. In 1995, a new site was acquired to replace the old facility with a brand new school that was opened in 1999. St. Basil continues to grow and evolve to better serve its community.