Alberta charter schools are a special type of public school[1] which have a greater degree of autonomy than normal public schools, allowing them to offer programs that are significantly different from regular public schools operated by district school boards. Charter schools report directly to the province, bypassing their local district school board, may not exceed their assigned quota of students without provincial permission. There was a cap on publicly-funded charter schools, limiting them to just fifteen schools,[2] but the Provincial government eliminated this cap in September 2020.[3][4][5] As of October 2023, Alberta has 36 charter schools operated by 21 different school authorities.[6]
Alberta charter schools are publicly funded and the school associations must be non-profit societies. The charter schools theoretically cannot have any religious affiliations, cannot charge tuition, and cannot operate on a for-profit basis. The teachers must be certified, and the curriculum must follow the approved provincial curriculum, though they are permitted to adopt independent educational programs and philosophies in addition. Alberta, which passed enabling legislation in 1994, is the only province in Canada to have charter schools.[7]
Charter schools
Current charters
There are 36 charter school campuses operated by 21 schools.[8][9] The number of charter schools was limited to a maximum of 15,[10] but the Provincial government eliminated this cap effective September 2020.[3][4]
All-female school with a focus on developing a strong sense of self and understanding historical and contemporary gender issues. Two campuses: Lakeview School, Bel-Aire Campus.[16][17]
More instruction time on mathematics, science, and technology, employing a problem-based approach to learning.[18]
Foundations for the Future Charter Academy
1997
K–12
Focus on academic excellence, leadership, and character development.[19] It is the only charter school with more than two campuses, with four K–4 elementary schools: Northeast Elementary Campus, Northwest Elementary Campus, Southeast Elementary Campus, and Southwest Elementary Campus; two 5–9 middle schools: North Middle School Campus and South Middle School Campus; and two 9–12 high schools: the High School Campus and South High School Campus.[20]
Rural leadership, second language (German or French, starting in Grade 1), cultural literacy, etiquette.[28][29]
Former charters
Three charter school have closed:
The Global Learning Academy, in Calgary, was granted a charter in 1996, and with 480 students was the largest charter school in the province. However, mismanagement and financial problems resulted in the suspension of its founding principal in December 1997, the replacement of its board of directors with a trustee in January 1998, and the revocation of the school's charter before the start of the 1998–1999 school year.[30][31]
The Moberly Hall Charter School, the only charter school hosted by a Roman Catholic school board, operated in Fort McMurray from 1997 to 2007 before voluntarily closing because of declining enrollment and rising costs.[7]
The Mundare Charter School was established in Mundare by parents in 1997 when the town's elementary/junior high school closed, but operated for only one year. It was absorbed into the local public school board as an alternative elementary school after low enrollment resulted in financial difficulty.[7]
^McBeth, Dianne (30 March 2016). "Capital Plan Submission"(PDF). Calgary Girls' School Society. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
