Boarding and
Campus Life

Boarding is the heart of Rosseau Lake College: it is based on the principles of sharing, responsibility for self and others, and community living.

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Each year more than 70 boarding students arrive from across Canada and around the world come to live and learn each year on our 56-acre campus. The live in four houses: Brock, Bricks, Clarkson, and Lakeview.

Virtually all dormitories are shared. Mixed-age dorms ensure supportive friendships across the grades. They provide an opportunity for older students to take responsibility, serve as a basis for mentoring, and avoids the isolation of individuals. Mentors lead by example, showing respect for the school and their boarding houses as well as a willingness to participate in school life.

In addition to our male and female boarding houses, starting in September 2024 RLC provides interested students with the opportunity to live in a gender-inclusive boarding house. Students can apply to live in the gender-inclusive boarding house with parent or guardian permission. Rosseau Lake College is only the third independent school in Canada to offer a gender-inclusive boarding option for students and families. We are proud to be part of the vanguard for creating the best living and learning environment for young people from around the world. All of our boarding options are focused on our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Living on campus gives students more than just a place to sleep. It opens the door to a world they can call their own, allowing them to experience all that RLC has to offer while also preparing students for post-secondary life.

An unequalled setting

One thing that draws families to RLC is our mission to connect students’ lives to the natural world. Nature is present in every aspect of the school’s operations and is deeply embedded in the school’s culture. The natural environment serves as a backdrop for everything that happens here.

A comprehensive approach

Through a variety of informal instructional and boarding life strategies, boarders develop vital personal, moral, social, and educational knowledge, skills, and values. Students also join an intentionally diverse peer community. Conversations in class carry over into the evenings, with students gaining a unique international perspective in addition to a rich social experience.

A safe, vibrant lifestyle

When students move into one of our four dormitories, they join a community with a tradition of making them feel at home. Each house has a Houseparent who takes responsibility for social and academic development and for the conduct, cleanliness, and safety of the living spaces.

Activities are provided for boarders on the weekend, both at school and off-site. Evenings are spent in activities as well as quiet time to study. They are also welcome to simply enjoy some downtime, just as they would do at home.

Students are able to go into the Rosseau, a sleepy, quiet quintessential Muskoka village. There is an historic general store as well as a bakery, both of which are popular destinations. Walking to the village gains a sense of autonomy, though within a controlled environment.

On the weekends, students are offered organized activities supervised by staff. Activities vary depending on the season, but each student is asked to participate in at least one event throughout the weekend.