Founded by the Christian Brothers in 1851, it offers a rigorous liberal arts education from grades 5 through 12, consistent with its Lasallian traditions and values.

De La Salle College "Oaklands" was founded by, and continues to be administered by, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

It is part of a global community of Lasallian educational institutions that are assisted by more than 73,000 lay colleagues and teach over 900,000 students in over 80 countries, varying from teaching in impoverished nations like Nigeria to post-secondary institutions like La Salle University (Philadelphia), Bethlehem University and De La Salle University-Manila.

In 1871, the school constructed a new building on Duke Street (258 Adelaide St. East today), and the name was changed to De La Salle Institute.

The next major step occurred in 1913, when De La Salle College took over part of the 67 Bond Street building adjacent to St. Michael's Cathedral.

Located in Deer Park, an estate named "Oaklands" was once part of the Crown land that was deeded in 1798 to the Honourable John Elmsley.

[1] Construction of Macdonald's mansion on the property at the crest of the hill, begun in 1860, was completed with a tower observatory that would provide him with a clear view of Lake Ontario some 5 kilometres to the south.

Three benefactors (T. P. Phelan, Abe Orpen and Frank O'Connor) paid the interest on the property's CA$300,000 mortgage for three years to help establish the school.

In 1950, after a great deal of effort and sacrifice on the part of the Brothers and the alumni of the school, the present main building structure was officially opened.

[4] Prior to the 1970s, De La Salle "Oaklands" demonstrated an ordered and disciplined environment where direction and goals were clear and commitment by students, teachers and parents to that culture was strong.

[6] More than 850 students were moved temporarily to the former site of Kingsmill Secondary School, which closed a year prior and later became Bishop Allen Academy.

In September 1994, De La Salle College Oaklands again reopened its doors as a private, independent, now co-educational, university preparatory school.

[10] De La Salle had decided not to do a phase-out, and each student was willing to pay $6,300 per year in tuition, prompting protests from some parents.

[11] By December 1993, there was a proposed plan to allow the MSSB to pay for the continuing education of existing De La Salle pupils.

As well, Oaklands strives to maintain its tuition levels to be among the lowest for independent secondary schools in the Greater Toronto Area — approximately $15,000 per academic year, in keeping with their Founder's ideals of accessibility to all students.

[17] From 1952 to 1957, the school's senior football team was coached by Toronto Argonauts legendary quarterback Nobby Wirkowski[18][19] and won consecutive league championships in 1955, 1956 and 1957.

It has won recognition from the Columbia University Literary Society and the Canadian School Papers Association not only for its appearance, but also for its journalistic qualities of writing and layout.

Each stage of production shifted to a virtual setting, embracing the mix of mediums that technology brings to this classic form of school-wide communication.

During the Second World War one of the ex cadets, Major Fred Tilston, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Hochwald Forest.

The military model is used to help further develop the values of honesty, loyalty, integrity, and intelligent obedience, as well as the academic prowess and physical fitness that it entails.

Different from a traditional marching band, the Drum Corps (as they became known) played modern music with quick-paced formations that were clearly designed for crowd appeal.

Also, an exclusive home donated to the Brothers by the late Senator Frank O'Connor at his Wexford estate was converted to student housing.

With the onset of the MSSBs participation at Oaklands in 1967 (which resulted in an influx of more locally based students), the need for boarders at the school had diminished and eventually, the programme was phased out.

He published three short volumes on Shakespearean characters and was well known for the following productions which were staged at Massey Hall: 1922 Shattered Dreams - written by Brother Gabriel 1923 Hamlet 1924 Merchant of Venice 1925 Macbeth (with 4,500 people in attendance) 1926 Passion Play The "Oaklands" Auditorium It was to Brother Gabriel's credit that the new school on the current campus opened in 1950 with its own auditorium.

The home of what was later to be known was Theatre De La Salle had a sloping floor, an orchestra pit, a large marble foyer, and a balcony.

The official opening of the auditorium was a formal occasion with dignitaries on hand as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony to separate the curtains which were a gift of the class of 1920.

Brother Andrew spent his first year at Del (1950–1951) developing a glee club and an orchestra before staging the first of his five annual Gilbert and Sullivan musical productions.

The Toronto Telegram reported: There was a spontaneous joie de vivre...that gave the show a 'refreshing quality sometimes missing from a seasoned professional performance.''

Student directors Luke Arnott and Robert Kim went on to direct some of the private school's more memorable productions, including Little Shop of Horrors (1999) and Twelve Angry Men (2002).

With unprecedented support from the Administration, Parents Association, and Del Alumni, Theatre De La Salle launched a new era with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2012), and went on to flourish with Back to the 80s (2013), Grease (2014), and The Wizard of Oz (2015).