About

Welcome to KES

There’s no simpler way to put it:

At King's-Edgehill School we help students be more than they thought possible.
How do we do this? By creating a world-class environment that supports our students to see more, do more, create more, compete more, and achieve more.
 

Our Mission

We’re committed to the true meaning of education – to lead forth.
Except we’re not doing the leading – you are. Since 1788, our mission has been to create a stimulating, transformative culture that inspires students from all over the world to reach out and claim their true potential. Our balanced approach to student development means that all aspects of life are nurtured, from academics and athletics to public service and spirituality.

Founded in 1788, King’s-Edgehill is Canada's first independent School.

An International Baccalaureate School since 1980, we equip our students for university life around the globe, not only by developing academic rigour, but also by inspiring athletic and artistic excellence, strength of character and community leadership in a manner by which students know they are participating in "personal" and not just "private" education.
In 1886 horses pulled milk wagons up the long College Road, boys ran from the wooden schoolhouse up to the new chapel for service, and the Cadet corps had just begun. By the time a hand had scratched 1988 in the library's stone; cars parked beside new classrooms, several generations of students had fought in two World Wars, and the School was getting ready to celebrate its bicentennial.
 
Now over 230 years later at King’s-Edgehill School, our history and traditions are as alive and integral to our culture as the thud of rugby boots across the lower field, or the musky snap of clean, September air.
 
Founded in 1788, Kings College School was the first independent school in both Canada and the British Commonwealth outside of Great Britain. Today, we honour the remarkable traditions of excellence, achievement and leadership that have long defined our School.
 
The KES experience has always been about creating an environment where promising students become responsible, well-rounded leaders. More than two centuries later, this commitment to our students and their families remains unwavering.

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  • KES Timeline

    • 1787 - Dr. Charles Inglis arrives in Nova Scotia
    • 1788 - King's Collegiate School for boys opens with 17 students
    • 1789 - George III gives Royal Assent to KCS
    • 1800 - The boys of KCS adopt the game of hurley to the ice of Long Pond
    • 1863 - Convocation Hall is built, Canada's first library museum building
    • 1867 - Canadian Confederation: Among the Fathers of Confederation are 3 former KCS students
    • 1877 - Hensley Memorial Chapel opens on the first Sunday of Michaelmas Term
    • 1891 - Edgehill School for Girls opens with 27 resident and 15 day students
    • 1920 - Disastrous fire destroys the main buildings of the University of King's College
    • 1923 - The School and the university separate; King's College moves to Halifax
    • 1931 - Inglis House is erected on the foundation of the original 1790 College building
    • 1976 - Amalgamation to form King's-Edgehill School
    • 1980 - King's-Edgehill offers the International Baccalaureate Program, the sixth school in Canada to do so 
    • 2005 - The Ted Canavan Athletic Centre opens
    • 2006 - The Fountain Performing Arts Studio opens
    • 2013 - The School celebrates 225 years of leadership in education 
    • 2022 - The state of the art Tanna Athletic Facilities are opened 
King’s-Edgehill School is located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq People.