History

Highfield School for Boys

Aberdeen Avenue

Highfield was built in 1861 by John Brown and purchased by the Turner family in 1874. Senator Turner and his family lived there until 1889 after which Lord and Lady Aberdeen took up residence prior to Lord Aberdeen’s appointment as Governor-General.

At the turn of the century, the property was purchased by a group led by Major John Hendrie for the purpose of establishing a local private school. The original school was founded in 1901 by John H. Collinson. On May 5, 1918, the school was severely damaged by fire and although it was able to continue operations after the fire, the search had begun for a new site.

Hillcrest School

Main & Queen Street

In the fall of 1920, with the support of the old Highfield constituency and Reverend C.A. Heaven, the new school was opened with an enrolment of 60 boys. Hillcrest was established as a temporary solution to the rebuilding of a new successor for Highfield.

Strathallan School

Robinson Street

Strathallan School was founded in 1923 by Miss Janet Virtue and Miss Eileen Fitzgerald.

In July 1923, the founding patrons (Lady Gibson, Lady Hendrie, Mrs. J.P. Bell, Mrs. C.E. Doolittle, Mrs. William Hendrie, Mrs. S.O. Greening, Mrs. Olmstead and Mrs. Colin Gibson) purchased the house on Robinson Street for $17,000 to establish Strathallan School. Miss Virtue, an experienced Headmistress, attended to the academic and religious side of school life, while Miss Fitzgerald fueled the creative side and supervised the daily living and learning arrangements. In the mid-1950s, 25 Robinson Street was purchased to augment the facilities.

In 1961, Strathallan School was renamed to Strathallan College.

Hillfield School

Main Street West

Through the generosity and patronage of the Gibson family, a generous parcel of land, including the late Col. Robert Ainslie’s house, was acquired. The temporary Hillcrest School had survived through the 1920s, and Hillfield School was built.

In 1959, Hillfield School was renamed to Hillfield College.

Hillfield Strathallan College

Fennell Avenue West

In 1962, the two schools moved to their current location—a 50-acre campus on Fennell Avenue West on Hamilton Mountain. In 1999, an addition to the campus created the current Montessori School, the Virtue-Fitzgerald Theatre and new music facilities.

In 2014, the College completed construction of the 134,000 sq. ft. Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Excellence which includes the Michael G. DeGroote Senior School (which opened in 2012) and an Athletic Complex with three large gymnasia, a multi-purpose athletics studio, change rooms, conditioning room and significant bleacher seating. It also features state-of-the-art music and arts rooms, a heated and covered alumni walkway and an alumni lounge.