Spot these Canadian schools in popular movies and TV shows

life • August 6, 2024

Lights, camera, action! Did you know that you’ll find Canadian schools featured in many popular movies and television shows? Here are a just few that you may recognize.

The Last of Us (2023 to present) – Calgary, Alberta

Spot these Canadian schools: Mount Royal University, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)

Picture this. You’re a student in Calgary, sitting in class… and there’s a zombie apocalypse outside your window! That’s what some Mount Royal University and SAIT students may have seen during the production of the hit TV show, The Last of Us.

After a global pandemic wipes out civilization, apocalypse survivor Joel is on a mission to escort 14-year-old Ellie across the United States to save humanity. It must have been quite the sight when film crews dressed up these beautiful campuses as deserted, post-apocalyptic landmarks!

Riverdale (2017 to 2023) – Vancouver, British Columbia

Spot these Canadian schools: Lord Byng Secondary School, John Oliver Secondary School, Point Grey Secondary School

Are you an Archie Comics fan? Then you definitely know Riverdale! Filming for this popular TV series took place in Vancouver, one of Canada’s main film hubs. The teen drama follows a group of high school students from the retro comic book series. One difference? This modern take has a much darker spin.

The show features moody exterior shots of the historic Lord Byng Secondary School. Many of the inside school scenes are filmed at John Oliver Secondary School and Point Grey Secondary School. Look familiar? Scenes from the 2018 movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before were also filmed at Point Grey. Imagine being a student there!

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) – Montréal, Quebec

Spot this Canadian school: McGill University

Are you a fan of the X-Men franchise? In the seventh movie in the series, most of the action takes place in Washington, but the film is shot in Montréal. The producers transformed McGill University’s Arts Building into the Pentagon for one memorable scene, where Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor X (James McAvoy) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult) team up with Quicksilver (Evan Peters) to break Magneto (Michael Fassbender) out of the Pentagon’s underground prison.

Nearby Montréal landmarks also star in the film, serving as Paris in the 1970s. City Hall stands in for the Hotel Royal, where the Paris Peace Accord talks take place. Next door, the fight between Eric and Hank takes place in the fountain at Place Vauquelin, and a Montréal Metro stop hosts the scene where an angry Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) confronts Magneto.

Mean Girls (2004) – Toronto, Ontario

Spot these Canadian schools: Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, Malvern Collegiate Institute, University of Toronto

This cult classic is filmed at various locations in the Toronto area. In the infamous words of Gretchen Wieners, “That is so fetch!” The teen comedy chronicles high school student Cadie’s journey as she tries to fit in with a clique of popular mean girls (aka “The Plastics”).

You can spot Etobicoke Collegiate Institute in many of the outdoor school scenes. Malvern Collegiate Institute, one of Toronto’s oldest high schools, was the perfect setting for the iconic Spring Fling Dance. And you may recognize the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall in the movie.

Children of a Lesser God (1986) – Rothesay, New Brunswick

Spot this Canadian school: Rothesay Netherwood School

This movie was likely shot before you were born, but we couldn’t leave this Academy Award winner off the list. The romantic drama follows James and Sarah, who both work at a school for the deaf and fall in love as the movie unfolds.

Rothesay Netherwood School, a private boarding school with an international reputation, served as the movie’s main set. Marlee Matlin gave such an incredible performance in the lead role that she won the Best Actress Oscar. She was also the first deaf person to win an Oscar. It’s worth the watch.

That’s a wrap! Want to knock some of these must-see locations off your travel list? Learn more about studying in Canada today.