THE HILL ACADEMY MARKS HISTORIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE HILL ACADEMY MARKS HISTORIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH RECORD ENROLMENT AND EXPANDED ATHLETIC OFFERINGS FOR 2026–27 ACADEMIC YEAR

Canada’s premier student-athlete institution welcomes 325 students and largest-ever faculty, buoyed by Olympic lacrosse momentum, historic OHL draft results, and world-class athletic partnerships.

CALEDON, ON – September 16, 2026 — Last week, The Hill Academy officially opened its doors for its 20th academic year, marking a landmark milestone in the institution’s history. From its humble beginnings in 2006 with just 16 students, The Hill Academy enters the 2026–27 school year with a record-breaking enrolment of 325 student-athletes from Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Post-Graduate (PG) studies, supported by the largest faculty and coaching staff in school history.

Celebrating two decades of defining high-performance education under its guiding philosophy "Where Sport is a Laboratory for Life”, The Hill Academy also debuts its most comprehensive sport spectrum to date. For the 2026–27 academic year, student-athletes will compete and develop across multiple core pathways, including: Lacrosse, Hockey, Golf, Volleyball, Soccer, and the expanded Foundations of Sport multi-sport development program that has been curated to foster a lifelong love of sport.

Momentum Across Elite Athletic Pathways

The milestone school year arrives during a period of unprecedented momentum across Canadian and International sport:

Lacrosse & Olympic Momentum: As the sport of lacrosse prepares for its historic return to the Olympic stage at the LA28 Games, excitement across The Hill's world-renowned lacrosse program has reached an all-time high, cementing the school's role as the premier choice for lacrosse student-athletes to reach their next highest level of achievement. With an incredibly strong Alumni network, The Hill has graduated hundreds of student-athletes to NCAA and CIS programs, represented their countries internationally and moved onto the professional ranks in the PLL, NLL and WLL.
Hockey Pipeline Success: Following a banner year that saw eight players from The Hill’s U16 AAA team selected in the OHL Priority Selection, those draft picks are now transitioning into their next highest levels of achievement, stepping into roster spots on The Hill Hockey Prep Team and elite Junior Hockey destinations across North America. The Hill Hockey's U18 Prep, U16AAA and U15AAA teams are now set to carry the momentum of the program into one of their most competitive schedules in program history.
Volleyball Expansion: Spurred by the historic Olympic qualification and performance of the Canadian Women’s National Volleyball Team on the global stage, the recent launch of The Hill’s volleyball program has experienced exponential growth, attracting top female student-athletes seeking holistic athletic and academic acceleration, under the direction of The Hill Alumni and former professional and Canadian National player, Dani Brisebois.
Soccer Heritage: Capitalizing on the soccer boom following Canada’s co-hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Hill Academy's Soccer program enters its first full year of combining a world-class private education with both an in-depth development of the world's game and a personalized strength and conditioning plan, designed to take each student-athlete to the next level. With coaching resumes that include NCAA, professionally in Europe and international representation the opportunity for student-athletes to grow with this program is immense.
World-Class Golf Partnership: The Hill Academy Golf program continues to elevate its student-athletes through a growing strategic partnership with TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. As the national home of Golf Canada and host site of the RBC Canadian Open, TPC Toronto offers unmatched access to championship-caliber coaching and training facilities.

Leadership Perspectives

"Twenty years ago, The Hill Academy was founded with a simple yet ambitious vision: to build a platform where dedicated student-athletes didn't have to choose between elite sport and elite academics," said Tory Merrill, Principal at The Hill Academy. "To welcome over 325 student-athletes to our Caledon campus for our 20th school year is a profound testament to our founders, staff, alumni, and families. The Hill has evolved from a bold concept into a global benchmark for total athlete development."

"What makes this 20th year so special is not just the increase in enrolment numbers, but the breadth of expanded opportunities available to our students" added Brodie Merrill, Athletic Director at The Hill Academy. "Whether it's the excitement around Olympic lacrosse, our historic hockey draft success, or our premier partnerships with world-class venues like TPC Toronto, the momentum is tangible. With this growth we remain committed to our core values and equipping our student athletes with the character, resilience, and academic excellence required to thrive at the next level and beyond."

"By introducing multi-sport development programs like our Learn To and Foundations of Sport alongside our high-performance streams, we ensure that every student-athlete, from primary grades to our high school seniors, builds physical literacy and a lifelong love of sport," noted Drazen Glisic, Director of Athlete Performance. "With daily physical education/strength and conditioning, in addition to their sport, we aren't just training sport-specific skills; we are cultivating student-athletes with the ability to succeed on and off their playing surface."

With the 2026-27 Academic Year underway, prospective families for the 2027-28 Academic Year are encouraged to contact our admissions team, admissions@thehillacademy.com, to discuss how your student-athlete can reach their next highest level of achievement.

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About The Hill Academy

The Hill Academy was founded in 2006 to provide optimal academic and athletic programming for dedicated student-athletes. Located in Caledon, ON, just 45 minutes north of the GTA, the Hill campus sits on 134 acres of beautifully forested land. The campus offers students bright classrooms, daily outdoor education, a state-of-the-art athletic training experience, Hill Performance gym facilities, running and hiking trails, a turf field, and an expansive boarding complex. Graduates from The Hill have been placed in some of the most prestigious academic and athletic institutions in the world. The Hill Academy is an institution for students who are committed to striving academically, and who would like an opportunity to take an in-depth exploration into their respective sport.