Over seventy-five years ago, two visionary Montreal mothers, Frances Ballantyne and Alphonsine Paré-Howlett, took a leap of faith and started a co-educational, child-centered elementary school, the first of its kind in Quebec. Deemed a pair of “mavericks”, they created a school that encouraged "children to be children": to play, sing, perform, discover, and explore their world in a caring and nurturing environment.

Believing that a child's early learning years are the most important, Ballantyne and Paré-Howlett developed a school far ahead of its time. Their revolutionary curriculum nurtured the whole child in a supportive, inspiring, and individualized learning environment. Their approach to education was quite innovative in the 1940s when schools tended to be large, impersonal, and authoritarian.

From its inception, The Priory has emphasized the importance of personal growth alongside academic excellence. Our founders believed that education should produce not only excellent problem solvers and critical thinkers but also "warm human beings of moral integrity." This core belief continues to shape our school's philosophy and approach to education today.