Richmond Hill High School (Ontario)
Public high school in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richmond Hill High School (RHHS) is a secondary school located in the city of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. It is the second-oldest high school in York Region Municipality (behind Newmarket High School c. 1843), being established in the mid-19th century. The school is a host to several regional special education programs, including an Advanced Placement Program, Alternative Education Program, Cooperative Education Program, Developmentally-Delayed Program, Multiple Exceptionalities Program, and a High Performance Athlete Program. The school has a gifted program along with all other secondary schools in York Region.[3]
(Latin, variously translated as: 'Dare to Learn', 'Dare to Know', 'Dare to be Wise', 'Have the courage to think for yourself' or 'Have courage to use your own reason')
| Richmond Hill High School | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
 | |
201 Yorkland Street York Region , , Canada | |
| Coordinates | 43°54′11″N 79°26′21″W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public High school |
| Motto | Sapere Aude (Latin, variously translated as: 'Dare to Learn', 'Dare to Know', 'Dare to be Wise', 'Have the courage to think for yourself' or 'Have courage to use your own reason') |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Founders |
|
| School board | York Region District School Board |
| Superintendent | Rita Russo |
| Area trustee | Simon Cui |
| School number | 938106 |
| Principal | Krista Luks |
| Staff | 111[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1635[2] (May 2025) |
| Language | English |
| Schedule | 8:50 a.m. — 3:30 p.m. |
| Area | 180,174 sq ft (16,738.7 m2) |
| Student Council | Richmond Hill High School Student Council (RHHSSC) |
| Colours | Forest Green & White |
| Song | Hail to Richmond Hill |
| Mascot | Raider |
| Team name | Richmond Hill Raiders |
| Newspaper | The Spyglass |
| Website | www |
| Last updated: November 2025 | |
In the 2024–2025 Fraser Institute rankings, Richmond Hill High School ranked 28th in the province of Ontario, with an overall score of 8.8/10.[4]
History
Richmond Hill High School is one of the oldest secondary schools in the Greater Toronto Area. Founded on December 2, 1851, in a room donated by Abraham Law,[5] it has since expanded and changed locations on several occasions including in 1853, 1872, and 1897. In 1924, the school moved their location on Yonge St. and Wright St. in 'downtown' Richmond Hill.[6] With some renovations occurring in 1950, it situated on the lot until its closure on May 26, 2000.[7] That year, the school moved to its present location at 201 Yorkland Street in September 2000.[8][9]
Between 1948 and 1949, the Richmond Hill High School Literary Society erected a metal plaque as a list of honour memorial dedicated to the former students of the school who died in service during the First and Second World Wars. The plaque is now mounted on the east wall between the outer and inner doors of the main entrance of the school.
In 2005, former State President of South Africa and 1993 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, F. W. de Klerk, visited the school and spoke to students and staff about his part in the end of the apartheid system. He also answered students' questions during an hour-long session.[10]
Building and site
The current school building on Yorkland Street is a two-story structure measuring 180,174 square feet (16,738.7 m2), which was completed and opened in 2000. It houses two gymnasiums, a fitness and weight training room, a cafetorium including a stage, a library, a communications technology room including a green and blue screen, vocal and instrumental/band music rooms, two visual art studio classroom/workspaces and six 'pods' with a central computer lab surrounded by four conventional classrooms, a science lab classroom and two teaching staff workrooms/offices.
The original Yorkland Street building was built to accommodate a student population of 1400 students,[11] but due to continued residential building in the school's catchment area and the strength of the school's academic reputation, the school has consistently enrolled 1600+ students since shortly after its opening. This has necessitated the use of portables as classrooms, with the number of portables growing to nine as of September 2016. The two older buildings still survive, with the old 1851 building now a coffee shop on Yonge Street, and the 1950 building continuing to operate as the French secondary school École secondaire Norval-Morrisseau.
'Books' by E.B. Cox
Situated in front of the main entrance of the present Yorkland Street building, in the grass median between the incoming and outbound driveways, is a sculpture entitled "Books" created by renowned and deceased Canadian sculptor E.B. Cox. In 1967, the staff and students of the school raised $4,000 (equivalent to over $28,000 in 2017) to commission the piece as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. It was originally installed at the Wright Street location upon its completion in 1968,[12] and was moved to Yorkland Street when the school switched locations. The sculpture is meant to represent a column of books towering up to the sky, representing the importance of books as a tool of learning.[13]
Notable alumni
- Elan Bibas, contestant on Love Island (American TV series) season 7.[14]
- BeiChen Lin, Director and Head of Canadian Investment Strategy at Russell Investments.[15]
- Josh Binstock, Olympic volleyball player.
- Evan Fong, YouTube gaming celebrity and musician also known as VanossGaming.
- Michelle Li, Olympic badminton player.
- Farley Mowat, World War II veteran, conservationist, and author.[16]
- Mag Ruffman, comedian, actress, and television host.
- Wendy Shon (Seung-Wan 'Wendy' Shon), singer and member of South Korean K-pop girl group Red Velvet.[17]
- R. H. Thomson, actor and filmmaker.
- Norman J. Wildberger, mathematics professor at UNSW.
- Samantha Win Tjhia, Olympic Wushu fighter, stunt double and actress.
- Kathleen Wynne, Former Premier of Ontario.[18]
- Brian Yang, Canadian Olympic badminton player.