Local agency or remote studio for a private or international school website in Montreal: how to choose (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a private or international school in Montreal, a local agency is the better choice when you want to film on campus, run workshops with the leadership team and the board and connect the site to your school management software, with a budget around 15 000 to 60 000 CAD (about 11 000 to 44 000 USD) as a 2026 ballpark. A remote studio such as Kolonell fits when your photos and videos already exist and you want a site that is clear on admissions, at a fixed price of 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD, with the bilingual FR/EN site included on Premium. The decision rests on on-site production, on how the data of minor students is handled and on French as the language of the site.

This version is written for the English-speaking heads of school, admissions directors and communications leads of private and international schools in Montreal.

Local agency or remote studio: which criteria should you compare?

A school does not change its website every two years. The right supplier is the one who meets the admissions calendar and leaves a site the communications team can update on its own.

The most underrated criterion is the calendar. A site that goes live in November misses the autumn season of open houses and admission exams: a 4 to 6 week timeline then matters more than a few thousand dollars.

What do Montreal agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?

These ranges are prudent 2026 ballparks, not official figures. They draw on public rate cards of Montreal agencies, minimum project sizes listed on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates published by local studios, often 100 to 175 CAD per hour, and rates visible on Upwork or Malt. CAD to USD conversions are approximate.

To be honest: a Montreal freelancer can be cheaper than Kolonell for a simple site. What Kolonell adds is included copywriting, a project manager and a price fixed before kickoff, with no surprise extra hours. Payment is by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery. Details are on our international website offer.

When is a Montreal agency the better choice?

• You are preparing a complete rebrand (name, logo, signage) with workshops bringing together leadership, teachers and parents.
• You want videos shot in class, in the gym and on field trips, coordinated by the same supplier as the site.
• The site must integrate deeply with your school management software or an existing parent portal.
• Your board requires a supplier met in person and invoicing in Canadian dollars.

A remote studio fits when the brand exists, the photo library is up to date and the main need is a fast, well-written bilingual site delivered before the admissions season.

What does a Montreal private school website need?

Montreal brings together very different realities: French-language private secondary colleges with admission exams, neighbourhood private primary schools, English-language institutions, international schools running the International Baccalaureate and expatriate families tied to aerospace, artificial intelligence or the international organisations based in the city. Parents often compare five or six schools on their phone before booking a visit.

• Clear admissions: calendar, exams or interviews, required documents, open house dates.
• Tuition fees shown or not, according to your policy: if you show them, date them and state what they cover.
• Programmes by level (preschool, primary, secondary), concentrations, extracurricular activities, transport.
• School life: sports, arts, trips, with student photos published only with written parental consent.
• A minimal information request form; the full application goes through your admissions tool.

On compliance, the facts only. Law 25 modernised personal information protection in Quebec: a designated person in charge, a privacy policy, consent for cookies. Data about minor students calls for particular care. The Charter of the French Language governs the use of French in business communications in Quebec, websites included; a complete French version is the prudent rule, and access to English-language instruction follows its own rules, which the admissions page should present without interpreting them. For accessibility, WCAG 2.1 AA is a sound technical reference. This is not legal advice.

Which questions should you ask before signing?

• Will the site be live before our open houses, with a date written into the contract?
• Who writes the admissions and programme pages, and who translates them?
• Will the domain and hosting be in the school's name?
• How will the communications team add news and dates without paying for hours?
• Where is form data stored, and for how long?
• Which student photos are covered by valid parental consent?

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Isabelle M., communications director of a 900-student private secondary college in the West Island, receives two proposals in May. A Montreal agency quotes 38 000 CAD (about 28 000 USD) with one filming day, delivered in 16 weeks, so after the start of the school year. Kolonell proposes Premium at 8 900 USD, delivered in 5 weeks on the written schedule, and Isabelle books a local videographer for 5 000 CAD (about 3 700 USD).

Build and video: about 28 000 USD on one side, 12 600 USD on the other, a gap of about 15 400 USD. With the same maintenance assumption on both sides, the gap stays the same over 3 years. Above all, the bilingual site is live before the autumn open houses. Isabelle keeps the local agency in mind for the rebrand planned in three years.

FAQ

How much does a private school website cost in Montreal in 2026?

With a local agency, expect a ballpark of 15 000 to 60 000 CAD, about 11 000 to 44 000 USD. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD.

Is the bilingual French and English site included?

Yes, on Premium at 8 900 USD. A third language, Spanish or Mandarin for example, is supplied by the school or quoted separately.

Can Kolonell photograph the school?

No, Kolonell does no shooting and no site visits. The school supplies its images or books a Montreal photographer, often 800 to 2 000 CAD for a half day based on published rates.

Can our admissions software be integrated?

A link or a simple embed of your existing tool is included from Growth at 4 900 USD. A parent portal or a custom enrolment journey is a separate application, quoted on request.

How is payment handled?

By bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery. On Premium, that means two payments of 4 450 USD.

Let's scope your project. Send us your admissions calendar, your programmes and your existing photos, and we come back with a fixed-price tier and a 3 to 4 week timeline, 4 to 6 on Premium. Request your free quote or see the international offer.