Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools
- Why
- See below
- Because
- Credit-bearing EAL courses · Certified teachers · Thirty years of experience
- Result
- Less lost time · Continuity you can rely on · Easy travel
- Benefit
- Budget-friendly · CAD 1,600 below the median, with homestay
- Cost
- CAD 13,748 (total of the published items, without homestay) · about CAD 1,375 per school month
Why Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools?
Parents often worry that time spent on language classes will delay graduation. Here, EAL courses carry credit, so students improve their English while still progressing toward their diploma. About 130 of the division's 20,000 students are international, so most classes are made up mainly of Canadian students.
- Students who want language support without losing credits and who want to keep to their graduation timeline.
- Parents who prefer a division with long experience of hosting international students.
- Families who want life in the province's largest city, with a wide range of amenities.
Reasons: what sets Greater Saskatoon Catholic apart
- Credit-bearing EAL courses: courses focus on the student's language needs and count as credit, so language study is part of academic progress.
- Certified teachers: classes are taught by government-certified teachers and certified EAL teachers.
- Thirty years of experience: the program was founded in 1996 and currently has about 130 international students, so admission and settling-in processes are well established.
- Four high school options: four of the 50 schools accept international students, so placement can be matched to the student's needs.
- French option: students can study in French as well as English, giving access to both of Canada's official languages.
- Supervised homestay: host families are monitored by the division. Students have a private room and three meals a day.
- The city: Saskatoon has a population of about 266,000 (2021 Census; about 317,000 in the metropolitan area) and is often cited as one of Canada's best cities to live in, offering students a balanced lifestyle.
Cost analysis: what one school year costs
| Item | CAD | As published on CAPS-I |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, one school year | 13,400 | $13,400 |
| Application fee | 250 | $250 |
| Health insurance | 98 | $97.60 (covers the waiting period for the Sask Health Care Card) |
| Homestay, full year | see text | Annual homestay fees vary by length of stay (details on the division's tuition and fees page) |
| Total of the published items, without homestay | 13,748 | Homestay is priced by the homestay provider and is not included in this total. |
Tuition alone works out to about CAD 1,340 per school month over a 10-month year.
The tuition figure for the 2026–27 school year was confirmed on the district's own website on 11 October 2026.
The other items are taken from the district's CAPS-I member page, read on 11 October 2026. Items shown as "see text" could not be read as a single amount and are left out of the total.
How this fee compares
At CAD 13,400, this fee is CAD 1,600 below the median of CAD 15,000 among 104 Canadian public school districts on this site.
Outcome: what these features mean
- Less lost time: credit-bearing EAL lets students learn the language while advancing toward graduation. This matters most for students arriving in grade 10 or 11 with limited time left.
- Continuity you can rely on: the established program gives families experienced staff, and parents know what to expect during application, placement and adjustment.
- Easy travel: John G. Diefenbaker International Airport is in the city itself, so no additional overland journey is needed. This helps students travelling alone for the first time.
- Flexible duration: full-year, single-semester and short-term options give families room to plan. A single semester costs CAD 6,800. The school year runs from September to June.
Benefit analysis: what the investment buys
The student works toward the Saskatchewan Grade 12 diploma, taught and assessed by certified Canadian teachers.
Classes in English every day, with French options that add a second official language.
A screened homestay family provides a private room, meals and daily support, and the district monitors the placement.
Clubs, teams and community activities let the student build a profile beyond grades.
A Canadian transcript, teacher references and extracurricular record that Canadian and international universities review directly.
Cost–benefit at a glance
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Annual investment | CAD 13,748 | Total of the published items, without homestay, from the cost analysis above |
| Per school month | CAD 1,375 | Over a 10-month school year |
| Price position | −CAD 1,600 | vs. median CAD 15,000 · 104 Canadian public school districts on this site |
| Specialty programs | Core program | Standard provincial curriculum |
| Living arrangement | Homestay | Included in the cost analysis where the school publishes it |
| Language support | Immersion | No separate ESL program in our data; we confirm with the school |
| Value verdict | Budget-friendly |
CAD 1,600 below the median across 104 Canadian public school districts on this site. Families get the full Canadian school experience for less.
Who it suits and what to consider
- School identity: the division offers a Catholic educational environment, and families should ask about school culture before applying. Placement, language level and course preferences should be discussed with the division.
- Accommodation costs: homestay, housing and guardianship fees vary with the length of stay, and the exact amount should be obtained from the division during the application. Students under 17 arriving without a parent must have a guardian in Canada.
Is Saskatoon the right city for your child? Let's plan language level, budget and application timeline in a free preliminary consultation.