Charter and private elementary schools in Alberta scored the highest overall average in 2011 among 665 schools included in the Fraser Institute’s annual report card.
Charter schools rated 8.4 out of 10 in the overall average of the 2011 school year; private or independent schools earned 7.6, followed by separate schools at 6.2, Francophone schools at 6, and public schools at 5.8. The overall average for all the schools was 6.
(Click here to see results from the Alberta report card on elementary schools.)
Private and charter schools had also earned the top overall averages in the 2007 school year, with independent schools scoring 8.1 and charter schools 7.5. Separate schools earned 6.3, public schools 6 and Francophone schools 4.6. In the 2007 school year, the overall average for all the schools was 6.1.
Alberta Private Elementary School Rankings
Of the top ten highest rated private elementary schools in Alberta, they averaged 8.78 in the most recent five years and all scored 7.9 or above for 2010-11 with Webber coming out on top. Webber has consistently held the top spot in the past five years and in 2010-11 was followed by Calgary French & International (Calgary, ranked 9.4 out of 10), Clear Water Academy (Calgary, 9.3), Rundle College (Calgary, 9.1), Strathcona-Tweedsmuir (Okotoks, 8.8), and Trinity Christian (Calgary, 8.7) to round out the top five. Additionally, of the top ten highest ranked schools, eight were schools based in Calgary.
Of the lowest ranked private schools, only two dropped below a 6.0 rating for both 2010-11 and in the past five years.
Compare and rank the top Alberta private schools.
Alberta Public Elementary School Rankings
Individual public schools did well, earning top marks to comprise most of the top 10 list based on the overall rating out of 10 in 2011. The public school named Windsor Park in Edmonton tied for first, scoring a perfect 10, with the independent school called Webber in Calgary.
Meanwhile, mostly public schools made up the bottom 10 schools in the 2011 school year.
The Fraser Institute’s Report Card on Alberta’s Elementary Schools 2012, released today, allows parents to find out and compare the academic performance of schools in math, science, social studies, and language arts over the past five years.
The Vancouver think tank says it uses “objective, publicly-available data to rate and rank the schools, such as average scores on state tests provided by provincial education ministries.” But the Alberta government plans to change its province-wide achievement tests to stop rankings, which it views as a misuse of data, according to the Vancouver Sun.
(Click here to read more about the school rankings debate.)
Top 10 Schools Based on 2011 Overall Rating Out of 10
Webber (school name), private (school type), Calgary (city), 10 (overall rating)
Windsor Park, public, Edmonton, 10
Grandview Heights, public, Edmonton, 9.8
Nellie McClung, public, Calgary, 9.8
Mount Pleasant, public, Edmonton, 9.7
Westmount, charter, Calgary, 9.7
Calgary French & International, private, Calgary, 9.4
Stratford, public, Edmonton, 9.4
Clear Water Academy, private, Calgary, 9.3
Master’s Academy, public, Calgary, 9.3
Westbrook, public, Edmonton, 9.3
Bottom 10 Schools Based on 2011 Overall Rating Out of 10
Balwin (school name), public (school type), Edmonton (city), 0 (overall rating)
Joussard, public, Joussard, 0Keeler,public, Calgary, 0St. Theresa, public, Wabasca, 0Sifton,public, Edmonton, 0.8Brightview,public, Edmonton, 0.9Evansdale, public, Edmonton, 0.9Abbeydale, public, Calgary, 1Delton, public, Edmonton, 1.1
St. Francis of Assisi, separate, Edmonton, 1.1
Belvedere, public, Edmonton, 1.2
Marlborough, public, Calgary, 1.3
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Do you see the value of ranking schools based on academic testing? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Watch for the latest news on the Fraser Institute report cards on the Our Kids blog.
Related:
Fraser Institute Series: News, Views and Analysis on the Rankings
The Calgary Herald: Rankled by Rankings
Fraser Institute 2012 Report Card on British Columbia’s Elementary Schools
About Christl Dabu
