School Choice

When it comes to selecting a school, parents and students can choose from a wide range of options. They can select from public schools, Catholic schools, francophone schools, private schools, and charter schools. They can also access a number of unique and innovative programs - including home education, online/virtual schools, outreach programs and alternative programs. Parents can also opt to home school their children. Choice is one of the important principles Alberta's education system is built on.

• List of schools and school boards

Public and Separate Schools

In Canada, provinces are required to provide free education up to the end of high school for all citizens and permanent residents under the age of 20. In Alberta, this universally accessible education is provided through public schools, which are operated by public school boards, and overseen by the Government of Alberta.

Alberta’s public schools teach the Alberta curriculum and may select optional programs as required to meet the unique needs of their students and communities.

Establishing A Separate School District and Request for Boundary Expansion

Schools on the Web Many of Alberta’s schools, public and otherwise, have their own Web sites.

Francophone Schools

Under the law, parents whose first language is French have a constitutional right to have their child educated in French where there are enough students to warrant it. They also have the right to govern these schools themselves. There are a number of francophone regional authorities operating schools in Alberta. This section contains jurisdiction maps.

The educational needs of francophone students, of their families and communities, the expected outcomes for francophone education and the conditions that must be met to ensure these outcomes are achieved are found in the document Affirming Francophone Education (630kb).

Private Schools

Parents may choose to educate their children outside the public education system, within the private school system. Private schools may charge tuition and other fees as required. There are two kinds of private schools in the province.

Accredited private schools

• must follow the Alberta Program of Studies
• must employ certified teachers
• Students can earn credits towards an Alberta graduation diploma
• monitored by Alberta Learning
• may receive provincial general revenue if operated by a non-profit society or corporation
• Accredited non-profit private schools receive the same funding for severe special needs children as public schools

Registered private schools

• Do not have to offer the Alberta Program of Studies
• Do not have to employ certified teachers
• Students cannot earn credits towards an Alberta graduation diploma
• monitored by Alberta Learning
• not funded by the Government of Alberta

Designated Special Education Private Schools

Parents of students identified as having special needs can choose to send their child to one of the province’s designated special education private schools.

Guide to Private School Planning and Results Reporting

This guide outlines the provincial requirements for private school authority three-year education plans and education results reports. These plans and reports support accountability in Alberta’s education system.

Charter Schools

Charter schools are autonomous non-profit public schools designed to provide innovative or enhanced education programs that improve the acquisition of student skills, attitudes and knowledge in some measurable way. Charter schools have characteristics that set them apart from other public schools in meeting the needs of a particular group of students through a specific program or teaching/learning approach while following Alberta Learning's Program of Studies. The Charter School Handbook outlines the procedures for establishing a Charter school.

Home Education/Blended Programs

Parents who choose to educate their children at home assume primary responsibility for delivering and supervising their child's courses of study and work as partners with a school board or accredited private school to ensure the child's educational goals are being met. A "blended program" is an educational program that consists of two distinct parts: an in-school program where a teacher employed by a school board or accredited private school is responsible for providing for the delivery and evaluation of courses and a Home Education program that meets the requirements of the Home Education Regulation. The Home Education Information Package provides some questions and answers relating to Home Education and includes the Regulation and Policy.

Online (Virtual) Programs

An Online program is a program offered by a school that is delivered electronically at a school site or off-campus, under the instruction and complete supervision of a certificated teacher of a board or accredited private school. For information about Online and Virtual school programs visit the Alberta Online Consortia website.

Outreach Programs

An Outreach program provides an educational alternative for students who, due to individual circumstances, find that the traditional school setting does not meet their needs. The Outreach Programs Handbook is a resource to help school jurisdictions (administrators, teachers, trustees), parents and community members understand the expectations and practices related to Outreach Programs.

Section 21, School Act (Alternative Programs)

An "alternative program" means an education program that (a) emphasizes a particular language, culture, religion or subject-matter, or (b) uses a particular teaching philosophy, but that is not (c) a special education program, (d) a program referred to in section 5, or (e) a program of religious education offered by a separate school board. The Alternative Programs Handbook is a resource on section 21 of the School Act and outlines suggested procedures for establishing an Alternative Program. See http://www.gov.ab.ca/qp/ for a copy of the School Act.