Why King David?

You should choose King David because you want a high school that is as much about excellence in education as it is about community and family. You should choose King David because you want a small school where you can get the support to succeed, the values to guide, and the confidence to lead. You should choose King David because you want a school that vibrates with the energy of fellow students seeking knowledge, exploring their Jewish heritage – and having fun doing it. No other high school in the province will challenge you to cultivate your talents or interests in the intellectual, artistic, spiritual, and physical realms – along with your Jewish self.

King David is the only coeducational high school in British Columbia that dedicates itself to delivering a dual curriculum of General and Jewish Studies. It is the only coeducational high school in British Columbia delivering a curriculum of academic excellence that incorporates outstanding delivery of core curriculum from committed and dedicated teachers, with the added value of an inclusive, comprehensive education that encourages questioning, critical thinking, and values-based learning in the best tradition of Jewish scholarship.

Being a small school has many advantages. Research indicates that student achievement increases with small class size and a high faculty to student ratio. King David’s faculty to student ratio is 10:1. Small class sizes ensure that students are highly active and engaged in the classroom. At King David, the faculty and administration know each student by name. This individualized attention ensures that each student’s special interests and talents are identified, supported, and nurtured. In addition, at a small school there is greater opportunity for participating in school activities, taking a leadership role, playing on sports teams, or acting in the school play. Individual voices are heard.

King David takes you beyond the classroom, with experiential education programs to broaden your horizons and engage you with Jewish and non-Jewish communities at the local, national and international level.

King David generally kicks off the academic year with a junior (Grades 8-9) outdoor adventure retreat, for students and staff. During the year, each grade has an opportunity for travel. Grade 10 students travel to Israel to participate in a “Gesher Chai/Living Bridge” program with our sister school, Har Vagai in Northern Israel; Grade 11 students travel to Los Angeles, California to visit the LA Museum of the Holocaust and other museums; Grade 10, 11 and 12 students may travel to Montreal to participate in the Model UN program; and senior students end their year with an outdoor adventure retreat. In addition, King David endorses the participation of students in Grades 10-12 who participate in the Jewish Federation-sponsored, March of the Living trip to Poland and Israel.

King David’s seventeenth graduating class matriculated in 2022, with 94% of graduates continuing on to post-secondary institutions, including those who deferred enrollment to take a gap year. Our alumni are extremely well-prepared for university and the critical thinking, study and organizational skills developed at King David propel them confidently into post-secondary success. The transition from a small high school into a large university is smooth, due to graduates’ comfort with interacting with faculty, confidence in advocating for themselves, and the social skills to fit into all situations – all skills they acquired at King David.

King David provides individualized counselling throughout the entire university application process, reflecting each student’s interests, personality, and academic goals. Our School Counsellor encourages and guides you along your unique path – a level of individual mentorship not available in many larger schools. Whether this path leads to a university campus, an art or technical institute, study in Israel, a community college or a gap year, you will be equipped with the information and confidence to make the most informed decision you can for your future. More importantly, whatever your decision, as a graduate of King David you will have the confidence, skills, and knowledge to succeed, whatever path you pursue.

King David has risen to an impressive Number 12 on the Fraser Institute’s Annual Rankings of approximately 280 BC schools – that puts us in the top 6%. Despite this impressive figure, the Fraser Institute rankings are a very narrow measure, highly sensitive to the fluctuations in individual school populations for any given year. At King David, we think the most powerful indicator of success is our graduates, who consistently get into the universities of their choice, are successful and engaged when they get there – and maintain their connection to their King David family. How do you measure what a school means to a student, a family, or a community? We believe it is measured in myriad tangible and intangible ways that reflect citizenship, curiosity, spirit, passion, and integrity, as well as scholarship. Developing the whole person is not just an academic exercise.

King David students learn to repair the world in ways that inspire them. Every year, students are encouraged to identify areas of interest for themselves where they can make an impact on the world. Supported by staff and parents, student-led initiatives inside and outside of school in recent years have included:

• Volunteering at soup kitchens and shelters;
• Random Acts of Chesed/Kindness Week, a period packed with activities that remind students of the importance of giving from the heart, rather than the pocket

King David’s athletic program emphasizes healthy, active lifestyles, success, fair play, and team-building. At King David, an impressive 70% of students participate in extracurricular soccer, basketball, tennis, track and field, golf, tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, badminton, softball and floor hockey. King David students participate in the Greater Vancouver Independent School Athletics Association; Lower Mainland Independent Secondary School Track and Field Association; and Independent Schools Association.

King David students are accomplished in music, drama, and art. Performing and visual arts are a part of King David’s comprehensive academic excellence. Each year the Norman Rothstein Theatre is filled to capacity with family and friends clamouring to see the latest King David theatrical production which, in recent years, have featured Little Shop of Horrors, Harvey, Grease, Seven Stories, The Wizard of Oz, Once Upon a Mattress, and Mulan.

Current King David clubs include Reach for the Top, Leadership, Knitting, Unplugged Games, Our World, and Debate. Clubs are run by and for students, with guidance from faculty advisors. The number and variety of clubs offered changes from year to year based on the areas of interest of the student body. Student-led initiatives to launch new clubs are welcome.

The school day begins at 8:45 a.m. and finishes at 3:25 p.m. Monday-Thursday, with Friday dismissal at 2:25 p.m. There are five 60-minute classes each day, except on Friday, when classes last 45 minutes and students attend a 25 minute TAG session. King David runs a modified version of a Day 1 – Day 2 schedule, which means that you generally have one set of courses on one day and then a second set of courses on the following day. The schedule also rotates the time of day courses are offered so you do not always take the same course at the same time of day.

At King David, you will find all the core courses you would at any other school, the difference being that Jewish education is woven into all areas of study. The ratio of General to Jewish studies is 80:20. This means that in the 10 blocks of your combined Day 1 – Day 2 schedule, eight blocks would be General Studies and two blocks would be Jewish Studies. The two blocks of Jewish Studies would consist of one block of Hebrew and one block of Judaics, e.g., Jewish History, Jewish Ethics, Torah, etc.

Homework is part of any high school learning environment and is certainly part of knowledge acquisition at King David. You will find the homework load to be significant, yet not overwhelming. In addition, because of the smaller class sizes and the accessibility of faculty, you will be able to acquire help from teachers when needed. More importantly, you will develop the study skills, critical thinking abilities, and resourcefulness that will help you succeed in high school, university, and life.

Hebrew is part of the regular program at King David. However, some students may be exempt from the requirement, depending on circumstances, including if King David is unable to provide an appropriate level for them.

Jewish learning has sustained and inspired millennia of the world’s great thinkers and doers. At your elementary school, you learned the fundamentals of Jewish scholarship and tradition. At King David, you will put this foundation to work in an environment that builds on that base, utilizing your knowledge of our shared traditions to broaden and deepen your educational experience, applying the ancient wisdom traditions of the Jewish people to the issues of today. You will attain the knowledge, strengthen the skills, cultivate the relationships, and build the confidence to propel you into lifelong achievement. High school influences the person you become. King David balances superb academics with profound appreciation for heritage, immersed in a community of shared values and eager minds, exploring and discovering the world of ideas together so that you emerge the best you can be – intellectually, socially, physically, and spiritually.

King David High School is an inclusive community of students from diverse Jewish backgrounds and experiences. Excellence in everything is our goal, and all students arrive with strengths in a range of areas. When you graduate from King David, you will have achieved proficiency and confidence in every part of our curriculum, including the full range of Jewish and general subject areas. Our Jewish studies courses are presented with consideration for the diversity of background, knowledge, and levels of observance. If every student entering our school knew everything there is to learn about being Jewish, we could happily close our doors. Every student is at a different point on their road to Jewish knowledge. At the heart of Jewish tradition is a dedication to learning without end. King David will inspire you for a lifetime of questioning and exploring.

King David’s doors are always open to parents. They are always welcome to participate in our programs, and play an active role in many, including Random Acts of Chesed Week and volunteering together with students at area soup kitchens and community service projects. Parents are required to commit a minimum of 10 volunteer hours to the school, which may be fulfilled in a variety of ways, including driving sports teams to away games, library support, event planning and execution, grade reps, host at school events, Board committees, and participating in the Parent Action Committee (PAC).