Luther College High School

Luther College High School is a historically independent high school offering grades 9-12, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Luther College was established in 1913 and consisted of a high school campus and a post-secondary campus, federated with the University of Regina. Our motto "Quality Education in a Christian context" refers to our emphasis on the whole person's education intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and physically—within a progressive Christian context where principles of love, community, grace, and forgiveness are paramount.
Students pay tuition to attend, and the provincial government also partially funds Luther College. Luther is not a "private school" in that a real private school receives no government funding. Luther offers the Saskatchewan government-regulated curriculum; the university recognized International Baccalaureate program, and diverse liberal arts programming. Luther College also relies on alumni and donors' generosity and philanthropy to support our programs, facilities, scholarships, and financial assistance opportunities.
The High School campus completed an 18.3 million dollar expansion in 2014, which includes a new performance stage, three new classrooms (two of which are dedicated to fine arts), a new gymnasium and a student fitness training center, our first student commons area, and upgrades to existing structures. The school also has fully renovated science laboratories and extensively upgraded on-campus dormitories.
Our school population is approximately 420 students, with 13% of them from international locations such as Nigeria, Vietnam, India, Israel, USA, Philippines, Ukraine, and China, to name a few! We have an on-campus dormitory with space for 50 boys and 50 girls. The average class size is 23 students. Our student-teacher ratio is 17:1. Students admitted to Luther College are not required to be Lutheran or Christian. We value diversity in every aspect of our school population. By welcoming students of all backgrounds, Luther College enjoys a richly diverse student body. International students should have some English language skills before applying. Our ESL coordinator tests all international students as part of the admissions process. Students should apply by March 1 for the September start date of the school year. Admission is also accepted for students to start in semester 2 (February).
Luther College has an outstanding academic program and university preparation with at least 96 percent of graduates going on to post-secondary education, including institutions such as the University of Regina, University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, Dartmouth, John Hopkins, McGill, Harvard, Oxford, Yale, and Queen's. Our alumni have been Rhodes Scholars and Nobel Prize Winners. Since 1953, Luther College has hosted the Luther Invitational Tournament – the longest-running high school basketball tournament in Western Canada, recently inducted into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame. Since 1973, Luther College has presented an annual Broadway musical. We value excellence in teaching and care for our students as individuals in the community.
Luther College High School follows the curriculum established by the Government of Saskatchewan. All of Luther College's courses are in the academic stream, leading to intense university studies preparation. In addition to the required courses, Luther College High School students must take a course in Christian Ethics for each year of their enrollment.
Luther College works within the semester system. Students are allowed to take a maximum of six courses per semester. At every grade level, there are specific courses students must pass in order to graduate. These courses are known as compulsory courses. Other courses, however, are optional. Students may choose which ones they wish to take to fulfill the requirements for their Grade 12 diploma. Each spring, students select their courses for the upcoming school year by completing the appropriate form. A deposit must accompany the course selection form. Classes fill up very quickly on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students submitting late requests risk not being admitted or waitlisted for classes.
To be eligible for a Luther College High School diploma, students must receive prior permission from the administration to take any credit classes outside Luther College High School. These grades will not be used in any average calculations, which may mean the student will be excluded from scholarship and honor pin consideration.
Luther College has an excellent reputation for developing students' academic skills to be well prepared for post-secondary studies. Our ESL program's objective is to equip international students with the requisite English language skills for finding academic success both at Luther and at a post-secondary institution of their choosing.
The ESL program uses a mixture of classroom and one-on-one instruction to ensure individual needs are being assessed and supported in a positive and caring learning environment. Benchmarked by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the ESL program uses a three-step approach that helps graduate students from communicative confidence to autonomous learning.
In addition to our academic pursuits, the ESL program at Luther helps to support our students' non-academic needs. Our "International Minded" staff member helps to facilitate opportunities for our students to join the high school through many events and activities. These include the International Café, school buddies, and a wide variety of other activities that help our new students feel welcome and part of the Luther family. Students in our program are all encouraged to join afterschool clubs, sports teams, arts (drama, musical theatre, and choir). Through these experiences, our students gain more motivation to practice and use their newly-acquired language skills. These activities help create a positive high school experience, where our students are given a chance to make friends and expand their experiences.