Education in Kingston

Queen’s University

A Royal Charter issued by Queen Victoria established the school in 1841. It was the result of efforts by the Presbyterians of Upper Canada to found a college to educate ministers in the growing colony, as well as educating youth in science and literature. The first classes would begin in 1842 with two professors instructing and thirteen students. In it’s first eleven years, Queen’s was without a permanent home. Instead classes would move from house to house in Kingston. Queen’s would eventually settle in Sumerhill.

In the late 1860’s, the government would withdraw its funding of the school. In the same period the commercial bank collapsed. This would result in Queen’s losing two thirds of its endowment. Principal William Snodgrass and other officials orchestrated a desperate fundraising campaign across Canada, and were able to raise enough money to keep the school afloat.
In 1869 Queen’s would become the first school west of the Maritimes to admit women as students. By the time the mid 1870's rolled around, enrollment at the school had increased from the initial 13 to more than 100 students.
Queen’s would separate themselves from the Presbyterian Church in 1912. Soon in 1918 the school would become the first in the country to offer courses in commerce.
The school has grown to a school of over 10,000 students. The school has a very high amount of applications, which allows the school to have the highest admission standards in the country.

Royal Military College

The Royal Military College was established in 1874. This was the result of the creation of the Dominion of Canada, along with Britain withdrawing their troops. These factors created a need for Canada to start to prepare their own defenses. An act of Canadian Parliament decreed that the College would be opened to provide a complete education to all branches of military tactics, fortification engineering and general scientific knowledge.

The school wouldn’t open its doors until two years later in 1876, with its first class of eighteen cadets. The College became a tri-service institution in 1948. In 1959, the school was given degree-granting status by the Ontario Legislature. This authorized the school to give degrees for Arts, Science and Engineering.

The school took to the ice in 1886 for the first hockey game to be played. They would play against a team from Queen’s University. The game is remembered each year with the two teams returning to replay the game.
The Royal Military College remains today as one of Canada’s leading institutions in training military personnel.

St. Lawrence College

St. Lawrence College provides a wide array of full-time and part-time programs. Including: Arts, Business, Computer & Engineering Technology, and social Services. The school opened in 1967, and today is accommodates over 5,000 full-time students. The school has grown rapidly since it’s inception and is currently executing the expansion of their facilities.