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On this page, we cover private schools in Alberta that offer gifted programs and support. This includes gifted schools and programs in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, and Banff.
For a more complete guide to gifted education, including a discussion of gifted tests and assessments, read our introductory guide.
Listen to the Our Kids gifted programs podcast38:22 |
Private schools are not obligated to support gifted children with special programs. Many private schools don't—even ones with strong academic reputations. The schools listed on this page, however, do. We organize the schools into groups: dedicated gifted schools, schools with dedicated gifted classes, and schools offering in-class gifted support. Then, in the fourth group, we identify schools that don't offer formal gifted support but have accelerated curricula for all their students.
These are self-contained gifted schools, where 100% of the students are gifted. Teachers and staff can focus on tailoring the environment to gifted students, without compromise.
School Name | Pace | Cost | |
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Progressive Academy (est. 1983)
Edmonton, Alberta 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. View profile |
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$8,950 to $10,150
View profile |
These schools have a separate, dedicated class (or classes) where 100% of the students are gifted. These gifted classes can be either full-time or part-time, and exist in parallel to regular, non-gifted classes.
School Name | Pace | Cost | |
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Calgary French & International School (est. 1969)
Calgary, Alberta 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. View profile |
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$7,490 to $14,310
View profile |
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River Valley School (est. 2003)
Calgary, Alberta River Valley is an inclusive school that harnesses the innate curiosity in children to ensure that every student, regardless of age or ability will flourish academically and socially. View profile |
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$8,470 to $15,040
View profile |
These schools offer support for gifted students within the regular classroom. Gifted students stay with regular learners, while receiving special, individualized programming.
School Name | Pace | Cost | |
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North Point School For Boys (est. 2014)
Calgary, Alberta 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. View profile |
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$13,000 to $15,000
View profile |
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West Island College (est. 1982)
Calgary, Alberta West Island College offers post-secondary preparatory programs from grades 7 to 12 in Calgary. Its class size varies from 15 to 25 students. French Immersion is offered alongside the English program View profile |
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$18,026
View profile |
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Delta West Academy (est. 1993)
Calgary, Alberta 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. View profile |
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$10,300 to $18,350
View profile |
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Venture Academy Troubled Teens Program (AB) (est. 2000)
Red Deer Area, Alberta 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. View profile |
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Varies
View profile |
Our gifted education guide has advice specific to finding gifted schools, programs, and support. For more general advice (on how to evaluate school options), we recommend you read our guide to choosing a school and our expert advice on choosing a school. You can also read our guides to questions to ask private schools and questions students get asked at school interviews.
Private school expos are a great way to find a school. We have annual private school expos in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Halton-peel. These expos allow you to speak with many private schools, some of which have gifted programs—all in the same place. Find a gifted school near you.
Word-of-mouth is another powerful tool in your school search. The Our Kids parent discussion forum allows you to discuss your options and related to gifted education and gifted schools. Take advantage of our community of parents, educational experts, and school officials to help answer your questions about lots of different topics.
Open houses are a great way to learn more about a school and get a feel for the environment. For some general advice on open house visits, go here. For questions that are specific to gifted schools and programs, check out our main gifted education guide.
Broadly speaking, the cost of gifted schools in Alberta reflects private school tuition in general. Private schools can range from $5,000 to over $30,000 per year for day students.
There are quite a few affordable private schools for gifted children. Inexpensive schools can often provide an excellent education by focusing on the classroom basics. You don't need to spend a fortune on bells and whistles: the key is getting your child individualized support.
Having said that, the more costly schools tend to provide more in-class and extracurricular opportunities. They are also often larger and more established. For most schools, though, the largest expense is teacher salaries.
Many schools offer financial aid (also known as "bursaries", "tuition relief", or "tuition assistance") and scholarships. Financial aid is needs-based, while scholarships are given for some measure of merit (whether it be academic, athletic, or something else).
You can read more about financial aid and scholarships in our dedicated guide. You can also read about preschool costs and funding.
Typically, the larger and more expensive private schools provide the most aid. Even comfortable middle-class families can be eligible to receive aid. So, don't be afraid to ask a school about it—whatever your financial situation.
Below, you'll find the range of costs for Alberta private schools with gifted programs:
Tuition (day school) | Students receiving financial aid | Grade eligibility for financial aid | Avg. aid package size (annual) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
North Point School For Boys | $13,000 to $14,000 | 20% | K - 9 | $6,000 |
Delta West Academy | $10,300 to $18,350 | 5% | 3 - 12 | $10,000 |
Legend:
DS | DC | SE | CC | IS | CL | AC | LI | AP | IB | SN | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calgary French & International School | |||||||||||
North Point School For Boys | |||||||||||
West Island College | |||||||||||
River Valley School | |||||||||||
Delta West Academy | |||||||||||
Venture Academy Troubled Teens Program (AB) | |||||||||||
Progressive Academy |
Founding date | Endowment | Admissions rate | Enrollment | Enrollment per grade | |
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Calgary French & International School | 1969 | 75% | 780 | 52 | |
North Point School For Boys | 2014 | 75% | 99 | 9 | |
West Island College | 1982 | 90% | 570 | 95 | |
River Valley School | 2003 | 90% | 250 | 28 | |
Delta West Academy | 1993 | 75% | 0 | ||
Venture Academy Troubled Teens Program (AB) | 2000 | 1 | 0 | ||
Progressive Academy | 1983 | 100% | 200 |
Primary curriculum | Secondary curriculum | Curriculum pace | Academic culture | Average class size | Language immersion | Special needs support | Tech integration |
|
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Calgary French & International School | Progressive | International Baccalaureate | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 16 to 20 | Indirect Support | Medium integration | |
North Point School For Boys | Progressive | Student-paced | Supportive | No support | Heavy integration | |||
West Island College | Traditional | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 15 to 25 | No support | Medium integration | ||
River Valley School | Progressive | Standard-enriched | Supportive | 12 to 18 | Resource Assistance | Medium integration | ||
Delta West Academy | Liberal Arts | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 10 to 12 | No support | Medium integration | ||
Venture Academy Troubled Teens Program (AB) | Traditional | Student-paced | Special needs school | Light integration | ||||
Progressive Academy | Progressive | Student-paced | Rigorous | 16 to 21 | Resource Assistance | Heavy integration |
Legend:
Calgary French & International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Point School For Boys | ||||||||||||||||||||
West Island College | ||||||||||||||||||||
River Valley School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Delta West Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Venture Academy Troubled Teens Program (AB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Progressive Academy |
Admission deadline | SSAT required | Interview required | Acceptance rate | Next open house | |
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Calgary French & International School | Day: rolling | Preschool - 12 | 75% | ||
North Point School For Boys | Day: rolling | 1 - 12 | 75% | ||
West Island College | Day: rolling | 8 - 11 | 7 - 11 | 90% | |
River Valley School | Day: rolling | Preschool - 6 | 90% | ||
Delta West Academy | Day: rolling | 7 - 11 | JK - 12 | 75% | |
Venture Academy Troubled Teens Program (AB) | Day: Jan 1, 1970 Boarding: Jan 1, 1970 Homestay: Jan 1, 1970 | ||||
Progressive Academy | Day: rolling | Preschool - 12 | 100% |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calgary French & International School | 70% | 85% | 80% | 20% | 50% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | |
North Point School For Boys | |||||||||||||||||
West Island College | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | ||||||||||||
River Valley School | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | ||||||||
Delta West Academy | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 50% | 70% | 50% | 25% | |||
Progressive Academy |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
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Math | Science | Literature | Humanities Social Sciences | Foreign Languages | Fine Arts | |
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Calgary French & International School | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | Equal Balance |
North Point School For Boys | Equal Balance | Inquiry | Traditional | Equal Balance | Audio-Lingual | Creative |
West Island College | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | Creative |
River Valley School | Discovery Math | Inquiry | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | |
Delta West Academy | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | Creative |
Venture Academy Troubled Teens Program (AB) | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | We don't offer Foreign Languages | We don't offer Fine Arts |
Progressive Academy | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance |
Student council | School newspaper | Yearbook | Radio club | Photograph club | Art club |
Choir | Band | Dance club | Yoga club | Drama club | Debate club |
Chess club | Math club | Science club | Robotics club | Computer club | Environmental club | Outdoor club | Community service |
|
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Calgary French & International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Point School For Boys | ||||||||||||||||||||
West Island College | ||||||||||||||||||||
River Valley School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Delta West Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Progressive Academy |
Badminton | Baseball | Basketball | Cricket | Equestrian | Football | Golf | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Rowing | Rugby | Soccer | Softball | Squash | Swimming | Tennis | Track and Field | Volleyball | Wrestling |
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Calgary French & International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Point School For Boys | ||||||||||||||||||||
West Island College | ||||||||||||||||||||
River Valley School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Delta West Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Progressive Academy |
Make no mistake: gifted children have different needs than typical students. These learners are often so advanced that they are outliers in the classroom: a normal curriculum and approach won't do.
When these students don't receive the custom support they need, they can disengage from school. This can sometimes lead to social and behavioural problems.
If you know or suspect your child is gifted, you're faced with the following questions:
You can also consider alternative options, like language immersion programs, the International Baccalaureate program, Advanced Placement courses (for older students), special needs schools, or other alternatives like Montessori schools.
To help navigate all the options for your gifted child, start with our introductory guide to gifted education. Having done that, you can come back to this page to check out your school options in Alberta.
Private schools are not required by law to provide support for gifted children—and many don't. On the other hand, some private schools are able to offer excellent programs and support for gifted students.
In the end, it's up to you to make sure school is properly set up for your gifted child. The list of private schools on this page (above) is a good place to start your search.