Calgary 
In its latest release, the Fraser Institute unveiled the 2023 rankings for Alberta’s secondary schools, evaluating 197 institutions across various categories including public, Catholic, independent, and charter schools.
Credit: Old Scona/EPSB
This annual report card assesses schools based on eight academic indicators drawn from Grade 12 provincewide exams, transition rates between grades, and graduation statistics.
The data by the Fraser Institute reveals a promising narrative of potential for improvement across all school types, defying the myth that a school’s location, student demographic, or other factors predetermine its academic ceiling.
Highlighting this potential, Fort Saskatchewan High exemplified significant progress, elevating its score from 4.5 in 2016 to 6 in 2022, notwithstanding the challenges posed by serving 16.1 percent of students with special needs. Similarly, J. Percy Page school in Edmonton demonstrated commendable advancement from a score of 3.5 to 5.3 over the same period, despite 25.9 percent of its students being English Language Learners.
Top Secondary Schools in Alberta:
- Calgary French & International, Calgary — Score: 10, Rank: 1/197
- Old Scona, Edmonton — Score: 10, Rank: 1/197
- Webber, Calgary — Score: 10, Rank: 1/197
- Rundle College, Calgary — Score: 9.7, Rank: 4/197
- Strathcona-Tweedsmuir, Okotoks — Score: 9.5, Rank: 5/197
- FFCA South, Calgary — Score: 9.3, Rank: 6/197
- Edmonton Islamic, Edmonton — Score: 9.1, Rank: 7/197
- Millwoods Christian, Edmonton — Score: 9.1, Rank: 7/197
- FFCA North High School, Calgary — Score: 8.9, Rank: 9/197
- Archbishop MacDonald, Edmonton — Score: 8.5, Rank: 10/197
- Ernest Manning, Calgary — Score: 8.5, Rank: 10/197
- Westmount, Calgary — Score: 8.4, Rank: 12/197
- Lillian Osborne, Edmonton — Score: 8.3, Rank: 13/197
- Western Canada, Calgary — Score: 8.3, Rank: 13/197
- Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary — Score: 8.2, Rank: 15/197
- Strathcona, Edmonton — Score: 8.2, Rank: 15/197
- Coaldale, Coaldale — Score: 8.1, Rank: 17/197
- Dr. E. P. Scarlett, Calgary — Score: 8.1, Rank: 17/197
- Springbank, Calgary — Score: 8.1, Rank: 17/197
- West Island College, Calgary — Score: 8.1, Rank: 17/197
- Henry Wise Wood, Calgary — Score: 8, Rank: 21/197
- Notre Dame, Calgary — Score: 8, Rank: 21/197
- St. Peter the Apostle, Spruce Grove — Score: 8, Rank: 21/197
While the rankings provide a valuable academic perspective, the Fraser Institute advises parents to consider a broader array of factors when selecting a school, suggesting that visits and discussions with school representatives can offer deeper insights into what each school may offer.
