Our Story

Our school story began in 1997, when Lotus Academy was a pioneer in the early years of education and adventure travel. 

In the realm of travel, Lotus Academy initiated its first tour in the People's Republic of China in 1997 and began organizing trips to regions behind the Iron Curtain in the early 2020s. This was followed by high-latitude journeys, including icebreaker expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. By 2010, we had become one of the global leaders in the field, pioneering new environmentally sensitive exploration areas.. 

Over the subsequent years, we expanded our travel programs to include Lotus Academy Summer Camps, Lotus Academy Community Service, and Lotus Academy Global High School. Through experiential programs in over 15 countries worldwide, we provided Ontario high school credits to more than 50,000 high school students. 

In 2004, Lotus Academy opened its first high school on the third floor of a walk-up building in downtown Toronto. Starting with just 12 students and three classrooms, it was a modest but hopeful beginning. In 2006, a second school was established in Vancouver, followed by the opening of one or two brick-and-mortar schools each year thereafter.

Our school community has grown to include eight campuses across Ontario, each emphasizing small class sizes, robust student support, and high academic standards to aid our students in their pursuit of higher education.  

In 2013, we established Lotus Academy Online as one of Canada's first asynchronous online high school learning platforms. We have since helped over 30,000 students earn Ontario high school credits online. In 2020, we expanded our virtual learning offerings to include Lotus Academy Orbit, a fully virtual campus with live teacher-led classes. 

We have enrolled thousands of students and continue to expand our campuses across Ontario. 

What will the next chapter in the story of Lotus Academy look like?