Education in Alberta facts for kids

Education in Alberta helps students learn and grow. The provincial government provides most of the money for schools. Education usually starts with preschool, which is optional. Then comes kindergarten to Grade 12, which is mostly required.

Alberta Education manages this system. They have divided Alberta into 379 school areas. Higher education, like colleges and universities, is handled by Alberta Advanced Education. Alberta is known for having one of the best education systems in Canada. It also performs well on international tests.

How Education in Alberta Started

The very first schools in Alberta were run by churches. They were called parochial schools. These schools were often owned by Catholic or Protestant churches. Sometimes, families paid a small fee. Often, this fee was waived to help students.

The first "free" school opened in Edmonton in 1881. This was before Alberta became a province. People in Edmonton elected leaders to run the school. They also agreed to pay local taxes to support it. This showed how much they wanted education.

Between 1883 and 1905, a school system grew in Alberta. Public schools became available everywhere. Separate schools, often run by religious groups, could also be set up. This system was made official when Alberta became a province in 1905.

More recently, Francophone (French-speaking) schools have developed. This happened after the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was adopted in 1982. Now, there are five Francophone school authorities in Alberta. They cover the whole province. They provide French education where enough students need it.

What Are the School Levels?

Education in Alberta has different stages. Here are the common terms:

• Early Learning
  • Pre-school (for young children)
• Elementary School
  • Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
  • Grade 1 (ages 6–7)
  • Grade 2 (ages 7–8)
  • Grade 3 (ages 8–9)
  • Grade 4 (ages 9–10)
  • Grade 5 (ages 10–11)
  • Grade 6 (ages 11–12)
• Junior High School
  • Grade 7 (ages 12–13)
  • Grade 8 (ages 13–14)
  • Grade 9 (ages 14–15)
• High School
  • Grade 10 (ages 15–16)
  • Grade 11 (ages 16–17)
  • Grade 12 (ages 17–18)

• Higher Education (after high school)
  • College: These schools offer certificates and diplomas. They also offer bachelor's degrees.
  • University: Universities offer many different degrees. They provide both undergraduate and postgraduate education.
  • Graduate school: This is for advanced studies. Students can earn master's degrees or PhDs here.

School Laws in Alberta

The School Act is a provincial law. It guides education from kindergarten to Grade 12. This law allows public, separate, and Francophone schools to exist. Alberta Education oversees all these schools. The school authority in each area manages its own schools.

The Education Act was approved in 2012. However, the government decided to review it. So, the School Act stayed in place for a few more years.

The Post-Secondary Learning Act guides higher education. Alberta Advanced Education oversees colleges and universities. This ministry also provides money to these schools.

Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K–12)

Michael Gove, a UK education leader, once said: "In Canada the province with the best educational record – indeed the jurisdiction in the English-speaking world with the best state school performance – is Alberta."

Alberta Education is in charge of K–12 schooling. The province has 379 school authorities. These include public, private, charter, and separate schools. All teachers must be certified by Alberta Education. The ministry also sets the curriculum. This is what students learn in each subject.

In the 2014/2015 school year, over 690,000 students were in K–12. The School Act says children must attend school from age 6 to 16. This is roughly from kindergarten to Grade 11.

How Schools Are Funded

The provincial government pays most of the costs for K–12 education. Before 1994, local schools could collect property taxes. This helped support their schools. In 1994, the province changed this for public schools. Now, the provincial government sets the property tax rate. Local towns collect the money and send it to the province. This money must be used for K–12 education.

The provincial government also adds money from its main fund. This money supports public, separate, and Francophone schools. Charter schools also get full funding. They are privately run but publicly funded. They do not charge tuition. Private schools and homeschooling get some money. But parents pay a large part of the cost.

Since 1994, most schools are funded almost entirely by the province. Schools may charge small fees for things like art supplies or transportation. If a family cannot afford these fees, there is a process to appeal.

How Schools Are Organized

Elected trustees govern the school authorities. They hire a superintendent to manage daily operations. The board focuses on the overall system. Private schools sometimes act as their own school authority. They may not have a superintendent.

Students in Alberta have required courses. But as they get older, they can choose more subjects. In high school, courses often have numbers like "Math 20-1". The "-1" means it's the highest level. "-2" is the next level, and so on. The numbers 10, 20, or 30 show the grade level. For example, "Math 10" is usually for Grade 10. You can find all available courses here.

What Students Learn (Curriculum)

Changes in What Students Learn

The government changed the curriculum in 2008-2009. They adopted a discovery-based approach. This means students learn by exploring and asking questions. Some people have criticized this. They point to lower scores on international tests.

In 2016, the government announced new curriculum development. They planned to create a new K–12 curriculum within six years.

Western and Northern Canadian Protocol

In 1993, education ministers from several western provinces and territories signed an agreement. It was called the Western Canadian Protocol (WCP). Its goal was to create common learning goals. This included math, language arts, and international languages. This agreement was paused in 2014. So, they are no longer developing new curriculum frameworks.

Lloydminster Schools

The City of Lloydminster is on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Both public and separate schools there follow Saskatchewan laws. They are still counted in Alberta's school numbers.

School Issues

Some current issues in K–12 education in Alberta include:

• How grades are given (sometimes called grade inflation)
• The power balance between school boards and the education ministry
• Funding for public schools
• Funding for private schools
• How the curriculum is taught, like discovery learning
• class sizes

School Initiatives

Alberta Initiative for School Improvement

The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) was a government program. It aimed to improve student learning. It helped schools create programs for their unique needs. Funding for AISI stopped in 2013.

Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans

This program started in 2009. It encouraged discussions about education in Alberta. The goal was to build a long-term plan for schools. It focused on values, goals, and how schools operate.

Standardized Tests

Provincial Achievement Tests

Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) are exams. Almost all students in grades 6 and 9 take them. They cover math, science, language arts, and social studies. The tests are given in both French and English.

Diploma Examinations

Diploma examinations are taken in Grade 12 courses. These include English, Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science, and Social Studies. They are also given in French and English. These exams count for 30% of a student's final grade. Alberta is the only province that requires these exams.

International Examinations

Alberta works with groups that conduct international tests.

Programme for International Student Assessment

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) runs it. It tests 15-year-old students in math, science, and reading. Canada takes part in these studies. Reports show how each province scores. You can find these reports here.

Alberta used to have some of the highest scores in the world. However, its scores have been slowly going down. Some critics say these tests are unfair. They argue that other countries "teach to the test." Albertan teachers focus on the full curriculum.

Higher Education in Alberta

Higher education is what you do after high school. It can also be called post-secondary education.

The oldest university in Alberta is the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The University of Calgary became its own university in 1966. It is now the second largest. The University of Lethbridge has campuses in different cities. Athabasca University focuses on online learning. In 2009, two colleges became universities: MacEwan University and Mount Royal University.

Alberta has 13 colleges that receive public money. There are also two technical institutes: NAIT and SAIT. Many private post-secondary schools also exist, like DeVry University.

Students can get government loans and grants for school. The Rutherford Scholarship is one example. There has been talk about the rising cost of higher education. In 2005, Premier Ralph Klein promised to freeze tuition fees. He also wanted to find ways to lower costs. So far, no plan has been released.