What is OFIS?
The Ontario Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS) is a legally incorporated, duly constituted association of non-sectarian schools, religious schools and home-schools, established in 1974.
It exists because - "parents have a prior right to freely choose the kind of education that shall be given to their child"
(1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
OFIS Believes That Independent Schools...
Why Parents Choose Independent Schools...
- they want to choose the type of education that is best for their children based on a wide variety of indicators including the unique perspective of each child - no one system can effectively mee the needs of all children
- for religious reasons believing it is best for their children if the values and religion of the home is reinforced and complemented at school
- for a specific approach to education such as Montessori, Waldorf or classical/traditional where they believe the teaching style will better match the learning style of their children
- to offer their children a better guarantee of strong academics, smaller classroom sizes and greater teacher student ratios
- to give their child the advantage of small classes and a smaller school in general where a child is well known by most staff
- for more direct involvement as a parent. Independent schools are well-known for sharing the decision making process on operations, policies and programs with the school community
