Candidate School · Grades 6–10 · Ontario Curriculum + IB Framework
AB Academy is in the candidacy phase for the IB Middle Years Programme — Grades 6 to 10 (MYP Years 1 to 5). The IB runs in 143+ countries, and we wanted our middle school to meet that standard.
The MYP isn't a separate curriculum. It sits on top of the Ontario one and asks more of students: connect ideas across subjects, dig deeper into a topic, and tie what they learn back to the real world.
The Ontario curriculum stays. The MYP adds a framework on top of it: more inquiry, more cross-subject projects, more reflection.
The point is to get students ready for high school and university, not just to finish Grade 10 with the credits.
What this looks like in a typical week.
Real units on things like climate change, identity, and sustainable cities.
Keep a planner, set deadlines, and reflect on what worked and what didn't.
Group projects with deadlines and assigned roles — not just "talk to your neighbour."
Take on tasks where the answer isn't obvious. Get used to being uncomfortable for a bit.
Read and discuss perspectives from outside their own background.
Tie classroom work to something happening outside the school — community, family, current events.
Every MYP subject is taught through six big themes the IB calls Global Contexts. So a Design unit might be about sustainable cities; an English unit might be about identity; a Science unit on climate change spends real time on who it affects and how.
The IB's Approaches to Teaching and Learning covers the study skills side. The IB Learner Profile covers the character side. Both run all the way through MYP.
How the MYP shows up week to week.
Language & Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals & Societies, Sciences, Math, Arts, PE & Health, and Design. Every year.
Required community-service projects. Students log what they did and reflect on it.
In MYP Year 5, students pick a topic they care about and produce a real piece of work on it. It's the capstone.
Units co-taught by two teachers from different subjects — for example, Science + Geography on a climate unit.
The ten attributes the IB asks every student to work on. Wording is the IB's, not ours.
Developing natural curiosity and skills for independent learning.
Exploring concepts, ideas, and issues with local and global significance.
Applying thinking skills critically and creatively to complex problems.
Expressing ideas confidently in multiple languages and modes.
Acting with integrity and honesty with a strong sense of fairness.
Appreciating their own cultures and open to other perspectives.
Showing empathy, compassion, and respect towards others.
Approaching uncertainty with forethought, determination, and courage.
Understanding the importance of intellectual, physical, and emotional balance.
Thoughtfully considering the world, our ideas, and our experiences to support learning and personal development.
We're a candidate school, not yet an authorised one — that's the first step toward IB authorisation, and we're working through it. Only IB-authorised schools can offer the four IB programmes (PYP, MYP, Diploma, or CP). We'll update this page when our status changes.
Call the office or send an email. Happy to walk you through where we're at with candidacy and what it means for your child.
