Brentwood College School - Mill Bay, British Columbia

cindy amimer

We were promptly attracted to the beauty of the campus once we entered the driveway of the school - a straight pavement lined up with trees starting turning yellow in the first breeze of autumn. As we drove on, the beautiful campus - school buildings on well-trimmed green lawns adorned with red trees, colourful shrubs, narrow curved paths, and smart looking teenage students in uniforms - became a tourist sight! The bayside scenery immediately took our breath away . . .

Clyde Jones

My experience with Brentwood was terrible! my previous school was very free and treated me like an adult. however Brentwood treated me like I was a child, I had no freedom at all. the sense of being locked up was furthered by the fact that I couldn't make any friends. As I joined in grade 11 I found that many friend groups were already developed and the school seemed to put zero effort in community building. Even though I was not bullied I always felt excluded from activities. The school itself makes no effort to assimilate late coming students into the school environment. The education was alright (definitely not worth the price) however I found that I was not prepared for university or anything else when I graduated.

Kay Cullen

Though there are some good teachers, there is also a culture of elitism with some staff and consequently students who take themselves and this high school very seriously. Some students (typically the ones the school likes most) are given lots of little pins for their blazers to show off their accomplishments, plus leadership titles and awards in grade 12. I watched some people that seemed pretty nice in grade 10 become increasingly narcissistic as they received many accolades and began to think of themselves as better than others. I also watched some become increasingly kind and confident during their time at Brentwood (though we all got better at pretending to be kind and confident). I was one of the students who didn't receive that many pins, awards or any leadership titles, despite putting my whole heart into all I did and being extremely busy with school activities (to the point of burnout and exhaustion, like regularly putting in 13+ hour days with school commitments as I was on travelling teams and bands plus took AP courses). This really crushed my confidence, though it may have saved my soul. I also know past students who had to reconcile with reality after receiving so much praise as an adolescent - it can be difficult to know yourself and feel fulfilled after only being rewarded for such a narrow way of being at this school. I got on with my life despite it all, but this made me feel badly about myself for years which certainly has made things that much harder. So I would say to consider carefully if this is an environment you want to experience, and if so to pay attention to what is going on in and around you.

Victoria Bridgeman

Went in for a tour and didn’t talk to any students. It very much felt like they were selling me a product instead of a school. If you go here your money will 100% just go to their wildly expensive gym.

Sierra Tanton

If you are considering attending a boarding school such as Brentwood College School and lead a normal, independent life style, and have already attended regular High School this is not the place for you. Think kindergarten level rules for teenagers which stunt their ability to become independent, experienced, well rounded adults. Undoubtedly, the academic opportunities this school offers are outstanding, but at what cost... the elitist sensibilities of many of the students lead to new and different students often being ostracized and picked on. Personally the time I spent at Brentwood College School were the worst 10 months of my life. The Harry Potter films led me astray.. all kidding aside, do your research, visit the school in person, speak with a current student about their experience, and above all make sure this is the LIFE STYLE you would like to have for the next year or more.

Owen Madrick

Going to Brentwood was an amazing experience. It was like summer camp and high school mixed into one. It wasn't until going to University and sharing stories with others that you understood how lucky you were to have had the experiences available through the school. For parents, the school offers opportunities for their children to network with other driven schoolmates in an environment where no student is left behind. Today, I run the Finance department of a tech company founded by two students I attended Brentwood with. The connections that were built in high school are now those I still keep today.

Miles Clyne

Our son attended Brentwood for his grade 11 & 12 years. I still recall my wife and I sitting in our car after we dropped him off the first year and had said our good bye's. It was just before lunch and the students were heading off to the cafeteria. We watched him head out with a group of boys he'd just met, they looked like they were having the time of their lives. As sad as it was to know we would only see him occasionally over the school year, we knew he was where he wanted to be.

Neither my wife nor I had attended a boarding school, it was a very difficult decision to let our son go. But he had made a very compelling case to us as to why he should go. Over the next couple of years we saw our son mature into a young man. He went on to complete his degree and is a fully independent adult we are both very proud of. He is immensely grateful for his time at Brentwood and to us for letting him go.

The tough decision we believe was the best decision at the end of the day. Our son is independent, confident and has direction. He is also a part of something bigger that will be with him forever. Our family now thinks of everyone at Brentwood as extended family. We truly appreciate all that they have done for our family with the commitment they gave our son.

Miles & Gwen Clyne

Andrew Garfield

Horrible kids bullying. My son Jude studies in that school and he complaints to us that he gets bullied for being short. The teacher are not doing anything plus the head of the boarding is mental, protecting the school rather than providing help for my son