The Dragon Academy


The Dragon Academy was a small independent school in the Annex neighborhood of downtown Toronto, which closed due to the pressures of the COVID19 pandemic on June 9, 2020.

History

The Dragon Academy was founded in 2000, the Year of the Chinese Double Dragon, hence its name, and welcomed its first students on September 11 2001. Dr. Meg Fox, its founder and principal, was inspired by the principles of progressive education. Small class sizes, discussion-based learning, going out from the classroom to use the city as school, foster creativity, collaboration, commitment to social justice and freedom of expression.

Background and Philosophy

Course offerings are balanced across the arts and sciences, and are taught at the highest levels by teachers who are passionate about their subjects, and about mentoring their students. Enriching the mandated Ontario curriculum with challenging materials and real world relevance, The Dragon promotes exploration and questioning. Dragons become artists, engineers, lawyers, scholars, and make important contributions to their chosen fields. A true community of learners, The Dragon is a seedbed for critical inquiry and design thinking. Our students acquire the tools for research and discovery. They are strong individualists, empathetic, inclusive.

Initiatives

The Dragon Academy provides a model for progressive pedagogy. It welcomes emerging teachers from noted faculties of education, including Brock, OISE, Queens and York. Partnerships with public and private institutions, including museums, universities, arts organizations, and NGOs, enrich traditional academic offerings, and extend opportunities for learning and for practica.
The Dragon Academy has recently expanded its high school offerings to include an experiential program for grades 4, 5 and 6, and remodeled its middle school classes with enhanced individualization through the guidance of anchor teachers.
Programs in development include Edtech incubation, an educational landscape studio, and integrated programming linking humanities, arts and STEM studies.