Looking for Alberta private or independent schools? OurKids.net lists many private schools from across Alberta. Alberta offers a cornucopia of private and independent schools including Montessori schools, Christian schools, Waldorf schools and numerous others.
Tuition at Alberta private schools ranges as low as $5000 per year up to $50,000 and higher. Our Kids also lists schools that offer scholarships and other financial aid.
You can also learn more about private education options at the annual Vancouver Private School Expo. Meet with many leading day schools and boarding schools.
Searching for a private school in Alberta
When searching for an Alberta private school, be sure that the school is registered with the Alberta Board of Education. Research all the web resources you can find.
For example, Our Kids offers video tours of some Alberta private schools. Learn all you can about the school's reputation and find out if they can offer you references.
Be sure that you fully understand Alberta's distinction between registered private schools and accredited private schools.
Overview of Alberta's private schools
Alberta's registered private schools do not need to meet requirements of the province. In many cases, registered private schools are most intent on avoiding government intrusion in their curricula and pedagogy. Graduates of these schools may feel greater accountability to their education, be better citizens and score better on aptitude tests - as is seen in private school graduates elsewhere.
Alberta's Accredited Private Schools are accredited under section 28(2) of the School Act. This category includes publicly funded private schools that must meet requirements of the province that go beyond basic registration.
In addition, Designated Special Education Private Schools provide special education programs for qualified students. These two latter schools must meet the same standards as public schools in order to get public funding.
One further category is Heritage Language Schools. These are private schools offering specialised language and cultural instruction. These schools are not publicly funded but may be funded under the Credit Enrollment Unit (CEU) funding system of Alberta.
Click here to read up on Calgary private schools.
