Academics
The school consists of roughly 50% students from local districts as well as another 50% from other districts who transfer in order to attend its Gifted Program, French Immersion Program or ESL program.
Academically, Bell has one of the highest university placement rates in Ottawa. Virtually all students of its gifted program and a plurality in the academic program enter respectable university programs in Canada or internationally. Students often go to the local Carleton University and University of Ottawa, with others going to Queen’s University, McGill University, McMaster University University of Waterloo or University of British Columbia in Canada. Some graduates go to the United States; in the past students have gone to Yale University and Harvard University.
Bell High School also offers comprehensive French Immersion studies for students wishing to pursue accreditation and fluency in French as well as a full range of Advance Placement courses and examinations for those whom wish to attain university credits during high school. AP Courses offered include: Physics B, Calculus, English Literature, French, Macroeconomics and Studio Arts.
Beyond special academic curriculum, Bell High School offers a diverse and extensive range of academic studies. Reinforced by its excellent educational infrastructure and exceptional staff to student ratio of 13.3 (~1000 students to ~80 staff), Bell High School students almost always performs exceptionally in national mathematics, biology and business competitions. In the University of Waterloo Math Competitions, Bell has consistently ranked within the top 50 schools in the nation.
To enforce Bell’s academic reputation, it is not uncommon for its students to travel across the nation to visit various institutions for enrichment studies. Some examples include the Canadian Light Source synchrotron (a particle accelerator) in Saskatchewan, Huntsman Marine Science Center, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, McGill University and the University of Toronto for its Model United Nations conferences. Many of Bell's students have been selected to attend the prestigious Shad Valley summer enrichment program for excellence in science, math, business and engineering.
Bell also has an international travels program which sends students across the world in order to broaden their horizon. Destinations include Continental Europe, Asia, Japan and the Galapagos Islands.
Read more about this topic: Bell High School (Ottawa)
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