Honest Answers to Common Questions.

How long has Pear Tree been operating?

Pear Tree School opened in September 2016 as a full-time independent school in Vancouver. We’ve been operating for a decade — this is a proven model, not an experiment.

Is Pear Tree licensed by the BC Ministry of Education?

Yes. Pear Tree School is certified by the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care as a Group 3 Independent School (Certificate No. 3996918). Our program uses B.C. curriculum learning standards as benchmarks, and all our teachers are B.C.-certified educators.

Regulation and oversight (Group 3): As a Group 3 school, we have the flexibility to deliver curriculum through our integrated, theme-based approach. Pear Tree’s program is not reviewed or approved by the Ministry, and the Ministry does not regulate our curriculum.

Why do you have combined grade classes?

Because children develop at different rates — even within one grade level. Combined classes let teachers build strong relationships over two years, give older students the chance to be role models, and create a community where every learner belongs. We see stronger empathy, deeper friendships across ages, and students who feel confident because there’s always someone ahead of them and someone they can help.

There’s also a curriculum reason. The BC curriculum is skill-based, not content-based. The difference between Grade 2 and Grade 3 math isn’t that students are learning entirely different topics — it’s that the same foundational skills get applied with more complexity. Addition, place value, multiplication — these build incrementally. The gap between adjacent grades is much smaller than most parents assume. In a combined class, we harness that overlap deliberately. Students who are ready to go deeper do. Students who need more time to consolidate do that — without being singled out. It also mirrors how the real world actually works: by readiness and ability, not by birth year.

Does Pear Tree follow the B.C. curriculum?

Pear Tree uses B.C. curriculum learning standards as benchmarks. We cover the same knowledge and skills — but deliver them differently. Instead of teaching subjects in isolation, students learn through real-world themes that integrate science, math, literacy, social studies, and the arts. Your child meets (and often exceeds) provincial standards while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

What technology does the school use?

Pear Tree is an Apple technology school. Students use iPads and MacBooks as learning tools — integrated into projects and research, not as a replacement for hands-on work. All devices are provided by the school and included in tuition.

Are there report cards?

Yes — and more than most schools provide. Your child receives three full report cards per year, each with written feedback across academic, social-emotional, and physical development. Between those, three mid-term snapshot reports keep you updated on where your child is heading. That’s six structured assessment touchpoints a year.

Reports are designed to be read alongside your child’s digital portfolio on Seesaw — an app that gives you real-time visibility into what your child is working on, day to day. You’re not waiting for a report card to know what’s happening in the classroom.

Every student also works with SMART goals across three domains: academic, social-emotional, and physical. This isn’t remedial — it’s universal. Every student, regardless of where they’re starting from, sets and tracks goals that build self-awareness and accountability over time. From Grade 2, students also complete formal end-of-term exams designed to assess how well they can apply what they’ve learned — not just recall it.

What is your homework policy?

We believe in balance. Homework is limited to roughly 15 minutes for K–1, 30–45 minutes for Grades 2–4, and about an hour for Grades 5–7. Evenings and weekends should leave room for family time, rest, and unstructured play.

What about high school and provincial exams?

Pear Tree is expanding to include Grades 10–12, with Grade 10 planned for September 2027. Our theme-based approach aligns with the updated B.C. provincial exam framework, which emphasises critical thinking, communication, and applied skills — exactly what our students practise every day.

Can my child start mid-year?

Yes. Pear Tree accepts rolling admissions. Our integrated curriculum doesn’t rely on sequential units, so students can join a cohort and engage with the current theme immediately. A $150 processing surcharge applies outside regular intake windows.

What’s included in tuition?

Everything your child needs: the full academic program with B.C.-certified teachers, daily chef-prepared hot lunch, daily physical education, Apple technology (devices provided), all classroom materials, and detailed digital report cards. The only additional costs are uniforms, field trip entrance fees (~$30–40/month), and an annual outdoor education overnight trip.

How are tuition fees used?

Tuition covers staff salaries and professional development, technology and classroom supplies, facility costs and improvements, the daily hot lunch program, and professional services.

What sports and outdoor facilities do you use?

Our Kitsilano campus has walking access to Connaught Park (daily outdoor time), Tatlow Park, and Kitsilano Beach. For specialised activities like swimming, ice skating, and climbing, we use Kitsilano Community Centre, UBC facilities, and Jericho Beach.

How diverse is the student body?

Pear Tree families represent 20+ nationalities. We attract families from across Vancouver who share a common value: they want their child’s education to be about real learning, not just grades.

What about students with special needs?

Pear Tree is an inclusive school that welcomes a wide range of learners. Our whole-child approach and small cohorts of 16 mean every student gets individual attention.

That said, our curriculum is demanding — it requires students to think critically, work independently, and collaborate in groups. As a Group 3 school, we don’t receive government special needs funding, so any specialised in-class support must be funded by the family. We’re always happy to discuss whether Pear Tree is the right fit.

What is your sex education policy?

Pear Tree uses an external specialist for age-appropriate health and body safety education at all grade levels, included in tuition. Content is tailored to each age group and covers the human body, tolerance, personal boundaries, and responsible decision-making.

Where can I see your safety policy?

Every parent receives a comprehensive digital handbook upon acceptance of registration. Pear Tree has detailed policies for earthquake and fire drills, as well as emergency lockdowns. Each class conducts regular practice drills.

How will my child cope with a traditional school after Pear Tree?

Our students develop critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability that serve them in any academic environment. Educators in traditional systems are increasingly incorporating project-based and integrated learning, making the transition smoother. Parents consistently report that their children are well-prepared and confident.

Is Pear Tree similar to an IB school?

Both IB and The Pear Tree Method value critical thinking, international-mindedness, and developing well-rounded students. The difference is in how the school day is structured.

In an IB program, subjects are still taught separately — a student has a math class, a science class, an English class — and interdisciplinary work happens in specific components like the Extended Essay or Theory of Knowledge. Assessment is heavily exam-based, especially at the Diploma level.

At Pear Tree, subjects are integrated through real-world themes every day. A single theme — like Cities Under Stress or Code of Life — covers math, science, literacy, social studies, ethics, and design simultaneously. Students don’t move between disconnected classes. They move between themes, each of which connects multiple subjects through one driving question.

IB produces graduates who have demonstrated knowledge through exams. Pear Tree produces graduates who have demonstrated capability through portfolios, presentations, and real work they’ve built and defended. Both are rigorous. The structure is different.

Is Pear Tree similar to a Montessori school?

Both Pear Tree and Montessori believe that children learn best when they’re actively engaged, not passively listening. Both value hands-on work, student agency, and treating children as capable thinkers.

The differences show up in structure. Montessori classrooms are typically designed around individual choice — students select their own work from prepared materials, often across mixed age groups. The teacher observes and guides but generally does not direct a shared learning experience.

At Pear Tree, the learning is teacher-designed but student-driven. Every class works through the same theme — like Entrepreneurs or War: WW1 — but students have real choices in how they approach problems within that theme. There’s a shared intellectual experience with individual ownership of the work.

The other structural difference is subject integration. Montessori materials are often subject-specific — the math shelf, the language shelf, the cultural materials. At Pear Tree, subjects are integrated through the theme itself. A student doing the Entrepreneurs theme is using math (financial modelling), literacy (business case writing), social studies (market research), ethics (who benefits and who is harmed), and design (prototyping) — all within one project.

How is Pear Tree different from a traditional private school?

The biggest difference is how the school day is structured.

At a traditional private school, your child follows a timetable with separate periods for each subject — math at 9:00, English at 10:00, science at 11:00 — taught by different teachers in different rooms. Subjects rarely connect. Learning is measured primarily through tests and exams.

At Pear Tree, subjects are taught together through real-world themes. Your child doesn’t have a “math period.” They have a theme — like Seismic Futures or Ideas That Changed the World — where math, science, literacy, social studies, and design are all embedded in one connected project. Two or three themes run in parallel across the week.

Instead of memorising content for a Friday quiz, your child applies that content: they write a research report, build a financial model, design a prototype, and present their work to a panel. Every theme produces real, assessable work across multiple subjects. The question isn’t which model is “better” — it’s which one matches how your child learns best.

Is Pear Tree a progressive school?

Pear Tree shares values with the progressive education tradition — student agency, hands-on learning, real-world relevance — but it operates differently from most schools that use the label.

Many progressive schools are guided by a philosophy: respect the child, follow their interests, create a nurturing environment. The daily structure often varies from classroom to classroom, depending on the individual teacher’s interpretation.

Pear Tree is built around a defined method — The Pear Tree Method — with 74 curriculum themes across Grades K–9, each mapped to BC Ministry learning standards. The method specifies how subjects integrate, how themes are sequenced across years, and how student work is assessed. It’s consistent across classrooms because the architecture is explicit, not left to individual teacher style.

The approach is progressive in how students learn. The expectations for what they produce are rigorous. If “progressive” means your child learns through real-world projects, builds genuine skills, and is held to high standards of work — with the receipts to prove it — then yes.

Do Pear Tree students cover the same curriculum as other BC schools?

Yes. Pear Tree School is certified by the BC Ministry of Education. All 74 themes across Grades K–9 are mapped to BC Ministry learning standards through detailed curriculum documents.

The content is the same. The delivery is different. Instead of teaching math, science, and social studies as separate blocks, Pear Tree integrates them through themes. A student studying “Pollution” covers the same science standards as a student in a traditional school — but they also apply math (data collection, statistical analysis), literacy (policy writing, formal argumentation), and ethics (who bears the cost) within the same theme.

Students who transition to other high schools after Grade 9 consistently report that the workload is manageable — because they’ve been writing at length, managing parallel projects, and defending ideas under questioning for years. For families continuing into Pear Tree’s Grade 10–12 program, students work toward the standard BC Dogwood Diploma with up to 120 credits — 50% above the provincial minimum of 80.