You have kissed countless knees, taken countless temperatures and washed a million cloths; you’ve tried to guide your little one toward good habits, good manners and a good diet; you’ve agonized over milestones and daycare and sleep. But when it came to elementary school, if you lived in Toronto, you hadn’t necessarily much choice: admission is determined by postal code and little else. Then you realized that if you really wanted the best possible start for your child, it might be time to look into private schools and see what they could offer.

The US is the top study destination in the world for international college students. Despite formidable tuition fees for top schools, every year hundreds of thousands of foreign-born students apply to American colleges and universities. What’s the draw? Of course American learning institutions have highly qualified teaching staff, and degrees earned at accredited US education institutions are likely to be recognized worldwide, but the same can be said for Canadian post-secondary schools.

Narrowing down your short list of US colleges may be the easy part. Perhaps you have a talented child who wishes to pursue his goals in a State-side college that excels in one particular area, such as sports or the fine arts. Maybe you yourself attended an elite school and you wish your children to carry on the family tradition. Or perhaps you are an expat living in Canada, but your kids have dual citizenship and you are happy to let them select the American university of their dreams.