Canadian Wild Schools

What Canadian Wild Schools does

Canadian Wild Schools is a Canadian not-for-profit organization, founded in 2020 by Jeff Barrett and operating primarily as WILDE School Blue Mountains from its owned Kimbercote campus at 316362 3 Line, Kimberley, Ontario. The organization delivers outdoor-based, experiential K-8 education aligned with the Ontario curriculum, taught by ~10 Ontario Certified Teachers to ~70 full-time students at a 12:1 teacher-to-student ratio, serving an enrolled community of 50+ families as of 2024. Its pedagogical foundation is a proprietary approach called Permacognitive Education — a living system inspired by permaculture principles that integrates cognitive, emotional, physical, and relational growth through an Observe→Design→Implement→Adapt cycle — together with named frameworks including the Life Compass, the 360° Accountability Council, the Strategic Student Plan, and the WILDE Awards Program (Roots, Branches, Canopy tiers).

The product portfolio spans full-time Kindergarten to Grade 8 education; WILDE Fridays, a once-per-week semester-based leadership program for JK/SK to Grade 6; After-school Outdoors Club and seasonal Nordic programming; teen leadership tracks (WILDE Way Leadership Initiative ages 12-14 and Junior Instructor LIT ages 15-17); WILDE Adventure Summer Camp and March Break Camp; a Wild at Home remote/hybrid learning offering; and a newly launched WILDE High School Program in Fall 2025 extending coverage into grades 9-12. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: families apply online, complete a campus tour and student assessment, and enroll via subscription/annual tuition with optional Wilde Bus transportation, while seasonal programs and camps are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Revenue is generated almost entirely from individual family tuition and program fees; pricing is not publicly disclosed but financial aid (Wilde Way Bursary) and gift card sales are available. The organization is founder-led, bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds or external investors), and has stated plans to expand to additional Canadian locations including the Yukon, Toronto, and Ottawa, though operations remain concentrated at the single Blue Mountains campus.

Name

Canadian Wild Schools

Legal name

Canadian Wild Schools

Website

https://wildeschool.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Canadian Wild Schools is a Canadian not-for-profit operating as WILDE School Blue Mountains, delivering Ontario curriculum through outdoor-based, experiential K-12 education for ~70 full-time students from a Kimberley, Ontario campus using its proprietary Permacognitive Education methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor K-12 Alternative Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor Recreation & Adventure Programs (Trips, Climbing, Rentals) (EDALAIAG)

Keywords

• Outdoor K-8 education
• Nature-based schooling
• Wilderness youth camps
• Experiential leadership programs
• Alternative private school

Headquarters

HQ city

Kimberley

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Full-Time Tuition: Annual tuition fees for full-time K-8 education program covering academic instruction, with separate fees for Wilde Bus transportation service.
2. Part-Time Programs: Revenue from WILDE Fridays, after-school clubs, and seasonal/part-time programs for various age groups.
3. Summer Camp Fees: Fees for WILDE Adventure Summer Camp and March Break Camp programs.
4. Leadership Program Fees: Fees for teen leadership programs including Junior Instructor LIT (ages 15-17) and WILDE Way Leadership Initiative (ages 12-14).
5. Gift Card Sales: Sale of gift cards through the website for program fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Canadian Wild Schools operates WILDE School Blue Mountains, a not-for-profit outdoor-based K-8 (and now high school) education program delivered primarily in natural environments in Ontario's Blue Mountains. The core product is full-time Kindergarten to Grade 8 instruction by Ontario Certified Teachers, supplemented by part-time WILDE Fridays, after-school clubs, teen leadership programs, summer and March Break camps, and a new WILDE High School Program launched Fall 2025. Programs follow Ontario curriculum standards and emphasize wilderness expeditions, environmental stewardship, and leadership development through the proprietary Permacognitive Education methodology.

Product overview

Canadian Wild Schools operates WILDE School Blue Mountains as a suite of outdoor nature-based education programs for children from Kindergarten through high school. The core offering is the full-time Kindergarten to Grade 8 education program, supplemented by part-time programs including WILDE Fridays, After-school Outdoors Club, and Leadership Programs for teens. The company also operates seasonal programs including WILDE Adventure Summer Camp, March Break Camp, and Nordic Program. A new WILDE High School Program launched in Fall 2025, and the Wild at Home virtual program supports remote learning. All programs follow the Ontario curriculum and emphasize experiential, outdoor-based learning focused on leadership development, environmental stewardship, and personal growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WILDE School: The primary brand for outdoor education programs from Kindergarten to Grade 8, with an experiential and wilderness-integrated curriculum.
• WILDE High School
• Wilde Camp

Products and services

• Kindergarten to Grade 8 Full-Time Education Program Immersive full-time outdoor education program from Kindergarten to Grade 8, delivered by Ontario Certified Teachers in a natural environment, following the Ontario curriculum with experiential learning approaches. Small class sizes with a 12:1 teacher-to-student ratio, with the majority of instructional time spent outdoors in Ontario's Blue Mountains.
• WILDE Fridays Semester-based part-time program held once per week for children from JK/SK to Grade 6, focused on leadership development and supplementing traditional school education with outdoor experiences.
• After-school Outdoors Club & Seasonal Programs After-school adventures and outdoor activities for students who love nature, held once per week as a supplement to traditional schooling.
• WILDE Way Leadership Initiative (Ages 12-14) Specialized leadership program for ages 12-14 to develop both leadership and wilderness skills while gaining volunteer experience.
• Junior Instructor - LIT for Teens (Ages 15-17) Leadership program for teens and high school students ages 15-17 seeking to improve their leadership skills while gaining volunteer experience.
• WILDE Adventure Summer Camp Multi-faceted curriculum-based summer camp experiences forged in the great outdoors for kids of all ages, featuring adventure sports and skills development including canoeing, mountain biking, wilderness skills, and nature-based activities.
• March Break Camp Outdoor adventure camp program during March Break for students.
• Wild at Home Independent and self-driven learning program designed to reduce screen time and increase outdoor time, maintaining Ontario curriculum standards. Launched during the pandemic for remote learning.
• WILDE High School Program High school program (Grades 9-12) offering individualized education plans through Strategic Student Plans (SSPs), blending Ontario curriculum standards with outdoor immersion, 1-on-1 mentorship, remote learning, wilderness expeditions, community involvement, and personal accountability councils.
• Nordic Program Seasonal outdoor program focusing on Nordic activities such as cross-country skiing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Strong academic results in reading, vocabulary, and mathematics with particularly strong outcomes for students who remain longer at WILDE
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Green Feet Ecosystem Services Dogsled RidesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional dogsledding service provider that conducted a demonstration at WILDE School in February 2026, providing grade 4-8 students with hands-on dogsledding experience including dog interactions and mush rides.
• WILDHOOD Festival (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UK-based multi award-winning festival for children and families that inspired the Escarpment WILDHOOD Festival hosted at WILDE School's campus. The local event was co-organized with community partners to raise environmental awareness.
• Blue Mountain Watershed TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization collaborating on the Escarpment WILDHOOD Festival to address environmental issues threatening the Niagara Escarpment.
• Friends of Silver CreekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal environmental group participating in the Escarpment WILDHOOD Festival to educate families about environmental protection.
• Royal Astronomical Society of CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational astronomical organization participating in the Escarpment WILDHOOD Festival as an educational partner.
• Esarpment Corridor AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member organization co-organizing the Escarpment WILDHOOD Festival with WILDE School.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• North Branch Nature Center: A Vermont-based environmental education nonprofit offering school-year and summer nature programs for youth, comparable to WILDE's environmental stewardship curriculum and seasonal/part-time programming structure.
• Whole Earth Nature School: An Oregon-based nonprofit offering nature-based and forest school programs for children and teens, mirroring WILDE's combination of full-time and part-time nature-based instruction plus seasonal camps.
• Wild Earth Wilderness School: A New York-based wilderness and nature-based school offering full-time and part-time outdoor programs for K-12 students, sharing WILDE's core model of integrating wilderness skills, leadership, and academic standards into a non-traditional, outdoor-forward curriculum.
• The Mountain School: A Vermont-based semester program combining academic coursework with farm, wilderness, and community work for high schoolers - comparable to WILDE High School's blend of accredited curriculum, mentorship, and outdoor expeditions on a single residential-feel campus.
• Teton Science Schools: A Wyoming-based nonprofit operator of place-based and wilderness education programs spanning K-12 and teacher training, highly comparable to WILDE's model of delivering accredited academics through immersive outdoor learning in a defined regional campus ecosystem.
• Earth Native Wilderness School: An Austin, Texas-based nature and wilderness school providing school-year and summer outdoor education programs for children and teens, with a similar mix of full-time instruction, camps, and nature-based skill-building comparable to WILDE's program stack.
• Camp Kawartha: An Ontario-based outdoor education center and summer camp delivering curriculum-linked outdoor programming and teacher training - directly comparable to WILDE on geography, Ontario curriculum alignment, and outdoor education programming for K-12.
• The Outdoor Academy: A North Carolina-based semester school for high schoolers emphasizing wilderness experience, leadership, and community living - directly comparable to WILDE's leadership programs (WILDE Way 12-14, Junior Instructor LIT 15-17) and the new WILDE High School launch.

Others

• Upper Canada College: A Toronto-based independent K-12 school where WILDE's founder Jeff Barrett previously taught outdoor education; an Ontario private-school peer for benchmarking tuition models, parent expectations, and academic outcomes, though not an outdoor-only school.

Broad incumbents

• Outward Bound USA: The largest U.S. experiential and outdoor education nonprofit offering wilderness expeditions and character/leadership programs for youth - a broad incumbent whose expedition pedagogy directly maps to WILDE's wilderness expedition and leadership training components, and where WILDE's founder Jeff Barrett taught.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/bmwildschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wilde-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canadian Wild Schools