Welcome to Our Kids.
We’re here to help you find the right school.
We’ve spent more than 20 years working with leading child development specialists, education consultants, and other professionals to gather data and insights into the school-choice process. The result is a robust suite of tools with one goal in mind: to give you all the information you need to choose your best-fit school among the 350+ profiled on our site.
2.6 million families use OurKids.net every year to research and choose private and independent schools.
Think of us as a virtual school-placement consultant: your personal guide to discovering, comparing, and choosing the school that will shape your child’s future.
Let’s get started:
Set up your free Our Kids Account
Our Kids lists numerous schools from across Alberta, including in Calgary, Edmonton, Banff, and Red Deer. There are several private and independent options in these cities, including Montessori, boarding, Christian, Waldorf, traditional, preschools, special needs schools, and others. Read more
An independent school that offers an individualized self-directed learning approach for tomorrow's leaders. Bursary programs available to qualified applicants. JK to Grade 12, Alberta Curriculum.
|
As western Canada's leader in French immersion education, Calgary French & International School students are active leaders and global citizens, graduating with a foundation for life long success.
|
Banbury meets individual needs, and helps students to become self-sufficient, innovative and proficient. Banbury feels like a family, where you have the freedom to be yourself, and are seen, heard, and understood.
|
North Point School for Boys is a Kindergarten to Grade 10 independent school in which curious and energetic boys are challenged and motivated, developing into young men of integrity with a genuine love of learning.
|
Rundle College is a university preparatory school from Kindergarten-Grade 12 in Calgary, Alberta. Our small class sizes of 12-16 students, gives our students the advantage of an enriched, personalized education.
|
Calgary Changemaker School is a new K-8 school opening in September 2020 emphasizing empathetic leadership, social innovation and students spend a significant portion of each day learning outdoors and in nature.
|
Venture Academy is a therapeutic treatment and education program for students who may be struggling with ADHD, learning challenges, underachieving, behavioural issues, and a variety of clinical diagnoses.
|
The Montessori School of Calgary offers a preschool through Grade 6 program led by experienced guides and teachers who support each child with trust, respect, and proven academic success.
|
Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School is an independent, private coeducational, full IB (primary, middle, and diploma programme) day school for Kindergarten - Grade 12 close to Calgary, AB.
|
Glenmore Christian Academy (GCA) is a private school in Calgary with specialist educators in academics, arts, and athletics. Our mission is to Teach Truth, Inspire Excellence, Experience Christ and Serve through Love.
|
Clear Water Academy is a private Catholic school that stands ready to meet and expand the minds and passions the brightest students in Calgary and exchange students from around the world.
|
Accomplished, confident and innovative - adjectives that describe not only our programs but more importantly, our students. Developing critical thinking, creative problem solving and academic excellence for everyone.
|
River Valley is an inclusive independent school in the heart of NW Calgary that provides exceptional education for students in Pre-Junior Kindergarten (Age 3) to Grade 6.
|
Progressive Academy's programs inspire students from preschool to grade 12 in Edmonton, Alberta. Wonderful faculty, wide range of experiential opportunities and high expectations ignite a desire to learn.
|
Foothills Academy is an independent school for students with diagnosed Learning Disabilities in grades 3 - 12. Small class sizes allow the experienced staff to create a positive learning environment.
|
Lycée Louis Pasteur is the only school in Calgary to teach the French Ministry of Education and Alberta Education curricula. Three years old to Grade 12. All linguistic backgrounds welcome. Small class sizes.
|
West Island College offers post-secondary preparatory programs from grades 7 to 12 in Calgary. It's class size varies from 15 to 25 students. French Immersion is offered alongside the English program
|
Calgary Waldorf School’s rich and challenging curriculum carefully balances academic, artistic and practical activities to stimulate intelligence and encourage creativity.
|
Our school has two programs: Academy, for students with learning difficulties who have yet to consistently perform at grade level, and Collegiate, for students at or above grade level and ready for greater independence.
|
At Edge School, your child succeeds through integrated athletics, academics, and character-building programs.
|
Be sure that all schools you research are registered with the Alberta Board of Education. Research all the web resources you can find. You can find video tours of some Alberta private schools linked to the profiles below. Learn all you can about the school's reputation and check parent references.
Alberta's private schools, especially private elementary schools, typically score very high on the Fraser Institute's Alberta rankings. In 2011, several private schools scored top spots out of 665 schools. Although the Institute's ranking system is far from perfect, rankings nonetheless are a useful introduction to the quality of private schools in this province. Our Kids also hesitantly offers some Alberta school rankings based on specific, verifiable factors including admission rate, cost, age and other factors.
Before you choose a private school for your child, you should fully understand Alberta's distinction between registered private schools and accredited private schools.
Registered private schools meet some essential provincial requirements such as code of conduct and property requirements but in most cases, private schools exceed government standards. Private schools offer more parental control in the classroom and schools exert more control over the student body. Graduates of private schools are more likley to feel greater accountability to their education, be better citizens, and score better on aptitude tests than they would at other types of schools.
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 follow the same standards as public schools in order to get public funding.
One further category is Heritage Language Schools. These are private schools that offer specialized language and cultural instruction. Such schools are not publicly funded, but may be funded under the Credit Enrollment Unit (CEU) funding system of Alberta.
Alberta's private schools have a broad range in tuition rates, from as low as $5,000 per year and up to $50,000 or higher. We offer a list of schools that provide you with scholarships and financial aid (i.e. bursaries). Some schools will cover a portion of your child's tuition, while others have scholarships and bursaries that cover 100% of the costs. However, when you are searching for an affordable school, you should be sure to inquire about hidden costs like textbooks, uniforms, and even information technology equipment, such as laptops.
If you're not from Alberta, but are thinking of sending your son or daughter to a school in this nature-filled province, you will be happy to know that Alberta does not have provincial sales taxes.
A new initiative in Surrey, BC, is recasting how we think of school. It’s safe to say that you haven’t seen anything like it.. [Read more]
