Royal West has limited enrollment, and prospective students are only admitted after an entrance examination and interview.

The grounds where Royal West is now located once belonged to the Aberdeen School of Coteau Saint-Pierre, founded in 1894[citation needed].

[1]The EMSB allows Royal West to choose the first 180 students who score the highest points on the entrance exams held, usually, in October.

The first 75-80 students with the highest grades get an "early acceptance"; the next 300 are interviewed, where they choose the next 110 that get to attend the following school year.

Royal West has also placed high in scholastic math competitions, including its rank of first in Quebec in 2006[citation needed].