Website redesign for a private or international school in Quebec City: budget, timeline and risks (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a Quebec City private school, the right question is the total cost over 3 years: patching the old theme comes to about USD 7,900, a subscription school platform to about USD 8,600, a local agency redesign to about USD 25,000, and a redesign on Kolonell's grid (Starter USD 2,900, Growth USD 4,900, Premium USD 8,900) to USD 8,860 to 12,860 with maintenance assumptions. At a similar cost, the redesign is the only option that fixes structure, accessibility and Law 25 compliance together. Timing matters as much as budget: don't go live during the fall secondary school admissions exam season.

This guide is for English-speaking founders and administrators working with private schools accredited by Quebec's Ministry of Education, from Sillery to Sainte-Foy and Charlesbourg to Lévis, whose families often come from the public service, the universities or the insurance sector.

When should you stop patching?

Signals that a redesign is due:

• the CMS theme is no longer updated and every new plugin breaks a page;
• the admissions page, open house calendar and program pages are hard to read on a phone;
• policies are scanned PDFs with no headings or selectable text;
• no current privacy policy, and tracking cookies fire before any consent;
• the English version, if there is one, has pages with no French counterpart.

What does each option cost over 3 years?

2026 ballpark, based on typical quotes and public rate pages of local providers, CAD amounts converted approximately to USD. Maintenance amounts are market assumptions; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.

Option A stays the cheapest, but it leaves structure, accessibility and non-compliant cookies untouched. Option B locks you into the platform's templates and often makes URL migration hard. Kolonell tiers include a project manager reachable in Eastern Time, native French or English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready and 3 months of support. Premium is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote. Details are on the international offer page.

Which phases, and when to go live?

Recommended windows: July and August, or spring break week. Avoid the fall, when open houses and secondary school admissions exams take place, and any exam period.

Which risks need managing?

• Law 25. Among other things, it requires a privacy policy published in clear terms and technologies used for profiling to be turned off by default; the Commission d'accès à l'information oversees it. Data about minors calls for extra care: the admissions inquiry form collects no health, special needs, report card, passport or custody data. Documents go through a secure portal, on quote.
• Charter of the French language. French must be available; an English version can't take its place.
• Search. Every ranking page (admissions, programs, open house, school transportation, calendar, tuition page if published) gets a 301 redirect.
• Integrations. Admissions portal, tuition payment, school management software, parent app and calendar feeds: separate lines on quote, existing tools kept and linked.
• Content. Programs, accreditation and any IB authorization only as the school actually holds them; child protection pages supplied by the school. Student photos with documented parental consent.
• Governance. Who updates the calendar and news after launch?

This is not legal advice.

When a Quebec City agency is the better choice

If the board wants in-person meetings at every stage, or the project includes rebuilding the application portal, a local agency stays relevant despite a budget about three times higher.

Mini case study

Illustrative example: École internationale du Grand-Héron, a fictional primary school of about 180 students offering the IB Primary Years Programme (case assumption: authorization actually held). It compares option A (USD 7,900 over 3 years) with option E, Premium in French and English (USD 12,860). Difference: 12,860 minus 7,900 = USD 4,960 over 3 years, about USD 138 a month, for a new structure, a compliant privacy policy and accessible pages.

FAQ

Can we keep our enrollment platform?

Yes. The site links to it; replacing it would be a line on quote, outside the USD 4,900 Growth tier.

Is a 4-week redesign realistic?

Yes, 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. Preparation on the school side often takes 3 to 5 weeks.

Do we need an English version?

It isn't mandatory. If the school serves English-speaking families, Premium at USD 8,900 covers several languages, with French always available.

What should we watch after go-live?

404 errors and admissions pages in Search Console for 6 weeks.

Is the cookie banner included?

Yes, configured with analytics and admissions tags, off by default.

Let's scope your project. A Law 25-ready redesign, migration of your admissions pages and a 3-year cost known upfront, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.