On this page we cover private schools in Calgary, Alberta that offer gifted programs and support. This includes gifted schools and programs in the Downtown West End, Crescent Heights, Mount Royal, Bridgeland, Riverside, Renfrew, Beltline, Eau Claire, and Mayland. We also touch on public schools for gifted children.
For a more complete guide to gifted education, including a discussion of private vs. public options, start with our introductory guide.
Listen to the Our Kids gifted programs podcast38:22 |
Private schools are not obligated to support gifted learners 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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Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio (est. 1985)
Calgary, Alberta Our Academy (in-person) and Studio (online) personalized programs are designed for students with a diagnosed learning disability to achieve their potential through outstanding support within and outside the classroom. View profile |
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$10,350 to $19,675
View profile |
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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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$8,700 to $19,500
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 a Pre-K to Gr. 6 school that harnesses the innate curiosity in children to ensure that every student will flourish academically and socially. View profile |
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$9,013 to $16,750
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 (est. 2014)
Calgary, Alberta In addition to academics, our focus on mentorship, hands-on learning in and outside the classroom, and character development, will allow our students to thrive academically and personally as they discover who they are. View profile |
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$8,000 to $15,500
View profile |
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West Island College (Calgary) (est. 1982)
Calgary, Alberta West Island College offers English and French Immersion with a focus on academics, leadership, athletics an global awareness. Students are encouraged to be curious, creative and innovative, so they can impact the world. View profile |
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$20,568 to $26,843
View profile |
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Calgary Changemaker School (est. 2019)
Calgary, Alberta -Passionate Learning: learning should be joyful and for life, not just for tests. -Skills for a Modern World: building the confidence to be leaders and Changemakers. -Holistic Wellbeing: creating conditions to thrive. View profile |
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$12,950 to $15,950
View profile |
Our gifted education guide has advice specific to finding gifted programming. For insights that are more general (on how to evaluate school options), we recommend you review our hub on choosing a school, as well as advice from top education experts. You can also read our guides to questions to ask private schools and questions students get asked at school interviews.
Private school expos are ideal launching pads for your school-finding journey. The Calgary private school expo allows you to speak with 10+ of the leading Calgary private schools — all in one place. Find a gifted school near you.
Word-of-mouth is another powerful tool in your school-finding arsenal. The Our Kids parent discussion forum allows you to discuss your options and debate topics about gifted education. You can use our community of parents, educational experts, alumni, and school officials to help answer your questions and stimulate your thinking.
Attending open houses is 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 to ask that are specific to gifted programs, check out our main gifted education guide.
Broadly speaking, the cost of gifted schools in Calgary 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 kids. 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 pricier schools will tend to provide a wider breadth of in-class and extracurricular opportunities. They will also tend to be larger and more established. Nonetheless, for most schools, the largest operating expense is usually 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. Generally speaking, 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 at Calgary private schools with gifted programs:
Tuition (day school) | Students receiving financial aid | Grade eligibility for financial aid | Avg. aid package size (annual) | |
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North Point School | $13,500 to $15,500 | 20% | K - 12 | $6,000 |
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | $15,990 to $18,450 |
Legend:
DS | DC | SE | CC | IS | CL | AC | LI | AP | IB | SN | |
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Calgary French & International School | |||||||||||
North Point School | |||||||||||
West Island College (Calgary) | |||||||||||
Calgary Changemaker School | |||||||||||
River Valley School | |||||||||||
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | |||||||||||
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 | 2014 | 75% | 165 | 13 | |
West Island College (Calgary) | 1982 | 90% | 630 | 105 | |
Calgary Changemaker School | 2019 | 50% | 70 | 6 | |
River Valley School | 2003 | 90% | 260 | 29 | |
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | 1985 | 286 | 32 | ||
Progressive Academy | 1983 | 100% | 340 |
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 | Progressive | Student-paced | Supportive | 8 to 15 | Resource Assistance | Heavy integration | ||
West Island College (Calgary) | Traditional | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 20 to 22 | No support | Medium integration | ||
Calgary Changemaker School | Progressive | Reggio Emilia | Student-paced | Supportive | 10 to 14 | Indirect Support | Light integration | |
River Valley School | Progressive | Standard-enriched | Supportive | 14 to 18 | Resource Assistance | Medium integration | ||
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | Traditional | Standard-enriched | Supportive | 6 to 12 | Special needs school | Heavy integration | ||
Progressive Academy | Progressive | Student-paced | Rigorous | 17 to 22 | Resource Assistance | Heavy integration |
Legend:
Calgary French & International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Point School | ||||||||||||||||||||
West Island College (Calgary) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Calgary Changemaker School | ||||||||||||||||||||
River Valley School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 | Day: rolling | 1 - 12 | 75% | ||
West Island College (Calgary) | Day: rolling | 8 - 11 | 7 - 11 | 90% | |
Calgary Changemaker School | Day: rolling | JK - 8 | 50% | ||
River Valley School | Day: rolling | Preschool - 6 | 90% | ||
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | Day: Nov 1, 2021 | 4 - 12 | |||
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 | |
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Calgary French & International School | 70% | 85% | 80% | 20% | 50% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | |
North Point School | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | ||||
West Island College (Calgary) | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | ||||||||||||
Calgary Changemaker School | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 25% | |||||||||
River Valley School | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | ||||||||
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | ||||||||
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 | Equal Balance | Inquiry | Traditional | Equal Balance | Audio-Lingual | Creative |
West Island College (Calgary) | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Communicative | Creative |
Calgary Changemaker School | Traditional Math | Inquiry | Equal Balance | Pragmatism | Equal Balance | Creative |
River Valley School | Discovery Math | Inquiry | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | |
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | ||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||||
West Island College (Calgary) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Calgary Changemaker School | ||||||||||||||||||||
River Valley School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||||
West Island College (Calgary) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Calgary Changemaker School | ||||||||||||||||||||
River Valley School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rundle Academy & Rundle Studio | ||||||||||||||||||||
Progressive Academy |
Make no mistake: gifted kids have different needs than typical students. These learners are often so advanced in their intellectual abilities that they are outliers in the classroom: a normal curriculum and approach won't be enough. When these students don't receive the custom support they need, they can disengage from school -- and even become depressed.
If you know or suspect your child is gifted, you're faced with the following questions:
You can also consider unique options like language immersion programs, the International Baccalaureate, special needs schools, Advanced Placement courses (for older students), and Montessori schools.
If you're still grappling with these questions, start with our introductory guide to gifted education. Once you're versed in the fundamentals, revisit this page to explore your specific school options in Calgary area.
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 highly individualized programs for gifted learners. The term "buyer beware" definitely applies here: it's up to you to make sure schools are properly set up for gifted learners. The list of private schools on this page (above) is a good place to start your search.