The Fraser Institute released its annual rankings of Alberta elementary schools, allowing parents to compare the academic performance of schools across the province.
"Our Report Cards offer parents information they can't easily get anywhere else, about how their child's school performs and how it compares to other schools in Alberta," said Peter Cowley, a Fraser Institute senior fellow.
This year, the Report Card on Alberta's Elementary Schools ranks 848 public, Catholic, independent and charter schools based on eight academic indicators derived from provincewide test results.
And contrary to common misconceptions, the data suggest every school can improve regardless of type, location, and student characteristics.
For example, River Heights, a public school in Medicine Hat, is one of the fastestimproving elementary schools in the province, rising from a score of 1.7 out of 10 in 2015 to 8.2 in 2022.
Likewise, Prince of Peace Lutheran, a public school in Calgary, is one of the fastestimproving school (rising from 4.3 in 2016 to 7.1), even though 62.2 per cent of its students are English Second Language (ESL) and 6.8 per cent have special needs.
"It doesn't matter where a school is ranked, or what challenges its students may face. The evidence is clear all types of schools, located all over the province with different types of students, are all capable of improvement," Cowley said.
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