VSB’s Mini Schools Prep

Mini School Prep Classes in Vancouver Kitsilano

If your child is applying with one of the VSB’s Mini Schools, Pear Tree Education can help!

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For Mini School preparation, Pear Tree provides a combination of Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and poetry analysis / essay writing practice.

Our CogAT / SSAT Mini School Prep specialist has a Masters of Education degree from SFU and extensive experience preparing students for a variety of high-school entrance exams, both local and international.

While we do not guarantee that your child will be accepted by such schools, we offer the ultimate preparation for your child to ‘put their best foot forward’.

Max 16 Students

mini school prep

Small group tutoring

$682.50 + GST 4 x 1.5hr sessions View course dates

One-on-One

mini school prep

Private Class

$210 + GST 1 x 1.5hr session Book a Private Class

Our Kitsilano Mini School courses take place in the Middle School Wing of our school:

Pear Tree School

Suite 201 (Middle School Wing)

2678 West Broadway Vancouver, BC, V6K 2G3
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What Are Mini Schools and Why Families Want In

Mini Schools – enriched programs for motivated and high-achieving students

The Vancouver School Board (VSB) describes Mini Schools as programs that provide opportunities for enriched learning to students who are Vancouver residents, consistently achieve B averages or higher, are highly motivated, and thrive in an environment of equally driven peers.

Mini School Programs

Available only from Grade 8,
Mini Schools offer:

Enriched academic content
Small class sizes
Specialist educators and guest speakers

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In practice, Mini Schools are like private schools within the public system. All children would enjoy learning there, but the programs are typically open only to ‘gifted’ and top-performing students.

Over 1,400 applicants 🫣
for only 600 spots each year

Despite the high-level entrance requirements, the fact that Mini Schools are so much better than regular high schools means that an enormous number of families apply for the Mini School exam every year.

Admission is based on:

Entrance test results
Grade 7 report card
Written application and interview

Important: Applicants must reside in Vancouver.

👉 Given this level of competition, proper preparation is not just helpful — it’s essential. At Pear Tree School, 👩‍🏫 we offer targeted, high-quality preparation that helps students approach the Mini School admissions process with confidence and skill.

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What is CogAT?

CogAT is short-name for the Cognitive Abilities Test, which is designed for elementary and high school students. CogAT uses a battery of verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal tests (see below) to calculate a student’s learned reasoning and problem solving abilities. It is generally used as an entrance exam for gifted and mini-school programs.

There are 10 levels of the CogAT related to the age and grade of the child. A 13-year-old child (in Grade 7) will take the Level 13 test.

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Verbal Battery

Picture/Verbal Analogies
Sentence Completion
Picture/Verbal Classification

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Quantitative Battery

Number Analogies
Number Series
Number Puzzles

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Non-Verbal Battery

Figure Matrices
Figure Classification
Paper Folding

When Should I Start Preparing?

Ideally, you should start in September in order to prepare for this year’s Mini School exam date (November 2025) assuming that your child is in Grade 7 in September.

Small Group Session Dates 2025

Max 16 Students

Mini School Prep Small Group Tutoring

$472.50 + GST 4 x 1.5hr sessions

Course 1

4 Weekly Sessions

Fridays

Fridays:Sep 12, Sep 19, Sep 26, Oct 3 Time:4pm-5.30pm

Course 2

4 Weekly Sessions

Fridays

Fridays:Oct 3rd, Oct 10th, Oct 17th, Oct 24th Time:4pm-5.30pm

One-on-One

Mini School Prep Private Class

$210 + GST 1 x 1.5hr sessions

Book a Private Class

Pear Tree camps

Parent Testimonials

— Tanya

My daughter has been really enjoying your Eco camp this week! I am so impressed by how much she’s learned and how much fun she’s having. Big Kudos to your team for creating such fun and informative camps!

—Sandy

My son really enjoyed the camp and he said Pear Tree has the best food, which is very rare for him to say. Usually he doesn’t like camp food and often ends up not eating much. But, he said he had 2 plates on most days [at Pear Tree], and would of gone for third if he was allowed ?. I just want to say thank you for putting so much effort into your camps and offered such a wonderful activities for the children.

— Eliza

“My son still treasures your assigned readings from last year. I can’t begin to express how much impact your sessions have had. I think he was little disappointed he couldn’t continue the sessions.”

— Bihter

I would like to thank you for everything you did on this summer camp for my daughter. She has made a very good progress, gained confidence in English and had a lot of fun. Especially, I want to share with you that when the school started here in Istanbul, she told me exactly ” Mom, you know what! I really miss Alexis, Paul, Emily, Josh and Pear tree.” Hope to see you again:)

— Wendy

“Thank you once again to the amazing camp leaders. We really like that the day is structured and he’s learning things (not just playing all day like other camps).”

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