Maple Leaf’s Educational Programs

Maple Leaf offers a variety of quality educational programs, in a variety of academic settings, allowing students at any age to enter into the Maple Leaf educational system.

From pre-school to high school graduation, and at every stage in between, Maple Leaf students are gaining fluency in Mandarin and English through exposure to a diverse student community, clear learning objectives, and the best of both Eastern and Western educational philosophies and practice.

Pre School (Pre-K)

Maple Leaf pre-schools focus on developing an active and healthy learning environment that sets the stage for an inquisitiveness and delight in the process of learning.

MLES delivers an advanced Chinese and English pre-school education program that ensures ‘whole child’ development, while at the same time cultivating in each child bilingual proficiency. Maple Leaf pre-schools blend elements of traditional Chinese culture with western cultural awareness and language development. Our pre-schools are well known for their attention to early childhood nutrition and the development of healthy personal habits. Maple Leaf pre-school students are embarking on a path to success.

Elementary (Grade K-6)

Maple Leaf elementary schools focus on providing a learning environment that leads to a lifelong desire to learn.

The solid academic foundation of the Chinese compulsory education curriculum and the outstanding Maple Leaf English curriculum are blended with an active and engaging learning model that includes a focus on the arts and traditional Chinese culture. Our elementary school students are provided with the pathway to succeed through Maple Leaf middle schools, and Maple Leaf international high schools. Maple Leaf elementary school students are active, curious and happy learners, with a solid English foundation.

Middle School (Grade 7-9)

Maple Leaf middle schools focus on nurturing positive personal and academic development through the “three good habits” model of: positive learning skills, positive personal conduct, and positive living skills.

The Maple Leaf middle school program is aligned with the Maple Leaf international high school program, with a focus on the all-around development of students and special emphasis in academic English development.

Our schools offer the full curriculum of the 9-year Chinese compulsory education program. To support the success of our middle school students in moving seamlessly into the Maple Leaf World School Program, we supplement the middle school curriculum with additional English classes taught by our international teachers, using our unique Maple Leaf English program with its identified standards and assessments. Maple Leaf middle schools address students’ individual growth while setting a solid foundation for their academic development and transition into Maple Leaf international high schools, and ultimately university abroad.

Foreign Nationals School

(Pre-K - Grade 9)

Maple Leaf Foreign Nationals Schools offer a positive and engaging learning environment in an all-English, Canadian education program. In China, enrolment at these schools is open to all students from pre-school through Grade 9 who hold a non-Chinese passport or whose parent does so. Our program is accredited by the Ministry of Education from British Columbia, Canada, and all teachers and principals are BC-certified educators. Our foreign nationals schools offer a diverse environment designed to enrich and support the development of students from international families living in China.

To support the success of students who may lack the English proficiency to be successful in an all-English classroom, our program incorporates a unique English program taught daily that will help students develop the fluency to transition into a full English academic environment.

Graduates from our Grade 9 class can move seamlessly into our international high schools for Grades 10 – 12, and graduate from a strong academic, university-prep program that blends the best of East and West in education.

Our quality educational program also includes daily Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) classes, to help international students develop Mandarin proficiency.

High School (Grades 10-12)

High Schools in China Transitioning to the Maple Leaf World Schools Program

To better meet the need of students in our schools in China, Maple Leaf Educational Systems has begun transitioning its High Schools in China to the Maple Leaf World Schools Program (MLWSP). The MLWSP is an accredited, enhanced, internationally-focused curriculum that blends the best of East and West in education and provides an excellent foundation for students planning to attend top-ranked universities.

The Maple Leaf World Schools Program meets or exceeds internationally recognized educational standards and builds upon the strengths of our students’ local cultures and educational experiences as it introduces them to western classroom experiences and pedagogical methodologies. MLWSP embeds twelve key teaching and learning strategies that are implemented in all subject areas, which contributes to the unique success of Maple Leaf high school graduates. MLWSP is accredited by Cognia, the largest, globally-recognized school accrediting agency in the world. Cognia accreditation includes accreditation by three of the six regional school accreditation agencies recognized by the United States national government.

The Maple Leaf World Schools Program strengthens students understanding of global issues and international cultures. It doubles English language class instructional time. It advances Math instruction and provides AP (Advanced Placement) Math and Science courses. It expands Social Studies to include more world history, geography and international issues, and it also adds courses in Personal and Global Leadership as well as Creative Thinking and Problem Solving. The MLWSP also includes Chinese Mandarin language and culture courses, and it offers dual-credit elective courses (simultaneously earning first-year university and grade 12 high school credits).

MLWSP includes strong academic assessment. Student examinations include internal course exams developed by Maple Leaf Systems Coordinators and School Department Heads to ensure consistency and reliability. System-wide examinations at each grade level are administered for English Language and Mathematics to ensure system-wide high standards and quality assurance. External examinations include British Council IELTS English proficiency exams and Advanced Placement (AP) Math, Science, and History course exams.

This strategic programming shift for Maple Leaf high schools in China will be completed over a three year period. It began in September 2020 with the implementation of the MLWSP in grade 10. The MLWSP will be introduced in grade 11 in September 2021, and in grade 12 in September 2022.

Maple Leaf has received letters of support for its transition to the MLWSP from more than 100 reputable universities, confirming continuing opportunities for MLWS graduates to receive offers from top-ranked universities around the world.

Maple Leaf High Schools Outside of China

While the Superintendent of Schools supervises the high school program in China, the Superintendent of Global Education oversees the high school program in countries outside of China, to ensure compliance and high standards at each school. At each Maple Leaf international high school the educational program is led by an experienced principal, with a full staff of highly qualified teachers. All academic teachers and administrators are educators with verified credentials. All principals and academic teachers hold valid teacher certificates from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

MLES is an English-intensive educational system from pre-school to high school. All of our schools provide extensive ESL teaching in preparation for the Maple Leaf World School Program.

At the Elementary and Middle School Levels

MLES has created its own unique model for ESL teaching at the elementary and middle school levels and produced its own standards and assessments, as well as its textbooks and learning materials (Maple Leaf English and Maple Leaf English for Young Learners). Our ESL model includes the important areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar.

Through our teaching methods and our instructional materials Maple Leaf English aims to teach students to think in English as preparation for learning in English in their studies at our high schools. At the elementary and middle school the English instruction time is doubled, so that our students’ study at least 12 classes of English each week with half of those taught by native English speakers. All of our ESL teachers hold degrees and ESL teacher certification.
At the High School Level

For students whose English language proficiency levels are not ready for the English intensive environment of the English language high school program, we offer the MLES Language Electives Program. This program allows students to earn some elective credits towards their high school diploma, while increasing their English proficiency in an academically motivated environment.

For more details see the China section of the website.

Chinese as a Second Language (CSL)

Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) is offered to non-Chinese students at three levels, from beginner to advanced.

CSL is taught to international students enrolled in our Chinese elementary and middle schools, our Foreign Nationals schools, and is offered as an elective for international students in our Maple Leaf World School Program. An increasing number of our international students in China and local students in our high schools outside of China are taking advantage of this option to learn oral and written Mandarin.