Never Stop Learning
Barrie is an entrepreneurial city – curiosity is common. We love to learn, connect and build new skills. If you’re looking for self-improvement, there are opportunities for higher education, apprenticeships and continuing education.
Barrie has everything you need to build your life including excellent educational options. The Barrie area has more than 20 private schools, 39 elementary schools and 10 high schools, including French immersion, Montessori and separate schools.
Learning On the Job
Apprenticeships and continuing education are great options for those who want to advance their career while working. Continuing education opportunities are available online, or through a blend of online and in-person learning. High school students can explore over 140 careers through the Ontario Youth Apprentice Program, and Georgian College offers a variety of apprenticeship programs at their Barrie campus.
Post-Secondary Education
Georgian College
Georgian College offers over 130 programs and is home to more than 13,500 full-time students across 7 campuses, with Barrie being the largest.
The Alectra Centre for Research, Innovation and Commercialization is equipped with the latest technology and partners with local industry to provide next-gen skills to students and advanced research & development.
Georgian is the first and only Changemaker College for embedding social innovation and changemaking into the culture, programming and operations (designated by Ashoka U).
The department of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is the hub for research, development and innovation at Georgian and includes:
- Research and Innovation
- Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation
- Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre
Georgian is a recognized leader in student work experience, with 6,300 employer partners. Students gain workplace experience with the added benefit of building a foundation with local employers who are eager to hire.
90.3% Georgian graduates find employment within six months of graduation.
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is Ontario’s top primarily undergraduate university, and fifth in Canada, according to the 2025 Maclean’s University Rankings. For the sixth year in a row, Lakehead has ranked among the world’s top universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
The university is one of Canada's top undergraduate research universities with 116 industry and not-for-profit partners around the world.
Lakehead's Orillia campus, located just 35 kilometres from Barrie, offers over 17 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The campus is also actively expanding College-University program pathways in collaboration with Georgian College. The City of Barrie is partnering with Lakehead University to bring a STEM Hub to downtown Barrie, set to launch in Fall 2026.
97.7% of Lakehead graduates find employment within two years of graduation with 91% having jobs relating to their field of study.
