Burlington Royal Arts Academy
Burlington Royal Arts Academy
Burlington Royal Arts Academy (BRAA) is a private arts-focused high school in Burlington, Ontario, designed for students in Grades 9 to 12 who want to combine a strong academic education with intensive opportunities in the arts. Founded in 2017, the school has developed a distinctive place within the Halton Region by emphasizing creativity, individualized learning, small classes, and personal development alongside the Ontario secondary-school curriculum.
The central idea behind Burlington Royal Arts Academy is that students should not have to choose between academic achievement and creative expression. Rather than treating the arts as an extracurricular activity added to a conventional high-school education, BRAA incorporates the arts directly into students' educational pathways. The school describes its approach through three major areas: academic achievement, creative expression, and self-development. This combination is intended to help students prepare for post-secondary education while also developing confidence, independence, artistic skills, and a strong sense of personal identity.
A School Built Around the Arts: Burlington Royal Arts Academy
One of the most distinctive features of Burlington Royal Arts Academy is its focus on artistic education. The school identifies itself as an arts-focused private high school and states that it is the only private arts-focused high school in the Halton Region. Its programs encompass several areas of creative practice, including drama, dance, music, visual arts, media arts, photography, animation, and related forms of creative study.
This broad approach is important because students do not necessarily enter high school knowing exactly which artistic discipline they want to pursue. A student might begin with an interest in drawing and discover animation or media arts. Another student might enjoy singing and become interested in musical theatre or performance. Someone interested in film could explore photography, visual storytelling, media production, or drama. By providing exposure to multiple disciplines, the school can allow students to discover and develop their individual strengths.
BRAA also emphasizes year-long arts instruction. According to the school, arts courses can be structured across the full academic year rather than being limited to a short semester. The goal is to provide students with sustained opportunities to develop skills, practice techniques, experiment creatively, and build confidence over time.
This model can be particularly valuable in artistic disciplines because meaningful development often requires repeated practice. A student learning music, for example, needs opportunities to perform, receive feedback, correct mistakes, and gradually improve. Similarly, a visual artist benefits from being able to experiment with ideas and techniques over an extended period. Long-term instruction can therefore encourage deeper engagement than simply completing a series of short introductory units.
Academic Education: Burlington Royal Arts Academy
Although the arts are central to the school's identity, Burlington Royal Arts Academy is not designed solely as an arts conservatory. It provides the Ontario secondary-school curriculum and supports students working toward the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, or OSSD. The school states that its courses are Ministry-approved and inspected, meaning that students can pursue recognized secondary-school credits while participating in its specialized arts environment.
The academic program covers the core requirements expected in an Ontario high school while also providing elective opportunities. Examples of courses listed by the school include business fundamentals, business leadership, accounting, law, anthropology, sociology and psychology, fashion, world cultures, communications technology, advanced functions, calculus and vectors, data management, and earth and space sciences.
This variety is significant because students at an arts-focused school can still have very different educational goals. Not every student who enjoys art intends to become a professional artist. A student may want to study engineering, business, psychology, law, communications, education, technology, or another discipline after graduation. Maintaining a broad academic curriculum gives students flexibility rather than forcing them into a single career direction.
The school also emphasizes personalized academic pathways. Students meet with senior staff to discuss their interests, academic needs, and post-secondary goals. Course schedules can then be developed around those individual circumstances. This approach recognizes that students do not all learn in the same way or have identical ambitions.
Small Class Sizes
Another major feature of BRAA is its small-school environment. The academy reports an average class size of approximately six students, while its FAQ describes classes generally consisting of about seven to ten students.
Small classes can make a substantial difference in the classroom. In a large secondary-school class, students may sometimes find it difficult to receive individual feedback from a teacher. In a small class, teachers can more easily identify where a student is struggling, provide additional explanations, and respond to individual questions.
The advantage may be particularly noticeable in arts education. Creative work often involves individual projects, performances, presentations, or portfolios. Students may need specific feedback about technique, composition, performance, or artistic choices. A small class can provide more opportunities for teachers to observe that work closely.
BRAA connects its small class sizes with its broader philosophy of individualized support. Its student-success program describes a "No Student Left Behind" approach and emphasizes personalized pathways, individual attention, and long-term goal setting.
Personalized Learning: Burlington Royal Arts Academy
Personalization is one of the strongest themes running through the school's educational philosophy. Instead of assuming that every Grade 9 student should follow exactly the same path, BRAA works with students to identify their interests, strengths, and future objectives.
This can be especially useful during the high-school years because students are beginning to make decisions about university, college, apprenticeships, artistic careers, and other post-secondary possibilities. A student interested in a music career may require a different combination of courses and experiences from a student interested in visual communication or business.
The school's pathway model attempts to connect present-day learning with future goals. Students can discuss their plans with staff and select courses that support those objectives. The school says that its staff conferences with students about post-secondary plans and develops course calendars according to individual interests and needs.
Such an approach can also help students understand why their courses matter. When teenagers can see a connection between their current assignments and future ambitions, academic work may feel more purposeful. A student interested in film, for example, may understand the value of writing, technology, visual communication, and storytelling in addition to practical media-art experience.
Creative Expression and Confidence: Burlington Royal Arts Academy
BRAA's philosophy goes beyond technical artistic training. The school presents creative expression as a way to develop confidence, identity, self-expression, and personal well-being.
This is an important distinction. Arts education is sometimes viewed primarily as preparation for professional careers in music, theatre, design, or visual art. However, creative activities can have broader educational benefits. Students have opportunities to communicate ideas, take risks, solve problems, collaborate, receive criticism, and express perspectives that may be difficult to communicate through conventional academic assignments.
Performance arts can be especially effective in developing confidence. Performing in front of other people requires preparation and courage. A student who initially feels uncomfortable speaking or performing publicly can gradually become more confident through repeated experiences. Similarly, students creating visual or media projects must learn how to make decisions and defend their creative choices.
BRAA therefore presents the arts as part of a student's overall development rather than simply as specialized training. Its three-pillar model places academic achievement, creative expression, and self-development alongside one another.
Student Well-Being and Community
The school also emphasizes creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive community. Its student-success information states that students should have an environment that is welcoming and free from violence, bullying, cyberbullying, discrimination, and abuse. It also emphasizes courtesy, respect, diversity, inclusion, and equity.
A small school can potentially create a strong sense of community because students and teachers interact frequently. Students may become familiar with one another's interests, strengths, and personalities, while teachers can develop a more detailed understanding of individual students.
For teenagers, this sense of belonging can be important. High school is a period of significant social and emotional development, and students can perform better when they feel respected and supported. BRAA's focus on self-development reflects the idea that education should involve more than grades.
The school's student handbook similarly describes the goal of maintaining a positive and inclusive learning environment in which students, families, teachers, and administrators can feel welcome and safe.
Opportunities Beyond Traditional Classes: Burlington Royal Arts Academy
An arts-focused school also provides opportunities for students to learn through projects and creative experiences rather than relying entirely on conventional tests and written assignments. Artistic work can require students to plan, practice, revise, collaborate, and present completed work.
For example, a student involved in drama may need to develop a character and rehearse scenes. A musician may work toward a performance. A visual artist may create a portfolio. A media-arts student may develop a digital project. Each of these activities involves multiple stages of learning and can require both independent effort and collaboration.
The school has also described opportunities for students to showcase their skills and work. Its programs are designed not only to introduce students to creative disciplines but also to help students develop those interests more deeply as they progress through high school.
Preparing Students for the Future: Burlington Royal Arts Academy
Burlington Royal Arts Academy's educational model is ultimately aimed at preparing students for life after high school. The academy reports that its graduates have gone on to institutions including Berklee College of Music, the London College of the Arts, the University of Toronto, Sheridan College, and Queen's University.
These examples illustrate an important aspect of the school's approach: artistic education does not have to limit students' future choices. Students can pursue specialized creative programs, but they can also transition into traditional university and college programs.
The combination of academic and artistic preparation may be particularly helpful for students whose interests cross disciplines. Modern creative careers often involve technology, business, communications, design, and entrepreneurship as well as artistic ability. Courses such as communications technology, business, media arts, and visual arts can therefore complement one another.
Even students who ultimately choose careers outside the arts may benefit from the skills developed through creative education. Creativity, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, presentation skills, and adaptability are valuable in many professions.
Admissions and School Environment
Burlington Royal Arts Academy serves students in Grades 9 through 12. As a private secondary school, it follows an application process rather than operating like a typical publicly funded neighbourhood high school. The school provides information for both Canadian and international students, and its application process can include submitting an application and completing the required admissions steps.
The school is located at 2054 Mountainside Drive in Burlington, Ontario. Publicly available community-service information identifies it as a private secondary school serving Grades 9 to 12 and describes its academic curriculum as provincial with an extensive arts focus.
For families considering the academy, the most important question is likely to be whether the school's environment matches the student's needs. A student who wants a traditional large high school with a very broad range of clubs and activities may prefer a different setting. In contrast, a student who wants close teacher interaction, small classes, individualized academic planning, and a strong emphasis on creative work may find BRAA particularly appealing.
Conclusion
Burlington Royal Arts Academy represents a distinctive approach to secondary education in Burlington, Ontario. Founded in 2017, the private school combines the Ontario academic curriculum with an arts-centred educational model that includes music, drama, dance, visual arts, media arts, photography, animation, and other creative disciplines.
Its defining characteristic is the attempt to balance three dimensions of education: academic achievement, creative expression, and personal development. Rather than treating the arts as an occasional extracurricular activity, BRAA places them at the centre of the student experience while continuing to provide academic courses leading toward the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
The school's small classes and personalized pathways are intended to give students greater individual attention and allow course choices to reflect their interests and post-secondary goals. Its emphasis on creativity also recognizes that education can develop more than academic knowledge. Through artistic practice, students can build confidence, communication skills, independence, discipline, collaboration, and the ability to express themselves.
Ultimately, Burlington Royal Arts Academy is designed for students who want their high-school experience to include both serious academics and meaningful creative development. Its approach reflects a broader understanding of education in which success is not measured solely through marks. Academic knowledge matters, but so do confidence, curiosity, creativity, personal identity, and the ability to pursue one's goals.
For students with strong interests in the arts, BRAA offers an environment where those interests can become an integral part of their education rather than something pursued only after school. At the same time, the school's provincial academic program and focus on post-secondary planning allow students to keep a wide range of future opportunities open. That combination—academic preparation, specialized arts education, small classes, and individualized support—is what gives Burlington Royal Arts Academy its distinctive identity within the Burlington and Halton educational community.
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