Prairie Private Schools

Private and independent schools vary greatly across the prairies. There is everything from small rural faith-based schools to an academy in the Canadian Rockies geared to elite athletes seeking adventures in snowboarding and backcountry skiing. There are a multitude of choices along the continuum, whether parents are seeking enriched academics, religious instruction or other alternative education programs.

There is also diversity as far as the guidelines and regulations that impact private and independent schools in these provinces.

Private schools in Alberta have been officially recognized since 1946 and have received some form of public funding since 1967. About 25,000 students attend private and independent schools in Alberta or about 4.6 per cent of the province's students (According to Measuring Choice and Competition in Canadian Education, a report released by the Fraser Institute in February, 2014). The majority of students enrolled in private and independent schools in Alberta attend a denominational school. Seventy percent go to religious schools, including Hebrew, Mennonite, Muslim, Christian and various other denominations. The other 30 per cent of students in Alberta's private and independent schools are enrolled in programs that focus on enriched academics or alternative programs, including First Nations, Montessori, Waldorf or those catering to students with special needs.

Alberta's Department of Education website states that it "recognizes that parents have a choice as to how and where education is provided to their children". To ensure students have access to a certain level of instruction, private and independent schools receiving provincial grants in Alberta must meet provincial curriculum guidelines and other requirements. Alberta's accredited private and independent schools receive 60 percent of the basic instruction per-pupil grant given to public and separate schools. Extra funding is also available to them for special needs students, materials and transportation costs. The vast majority of private and independents schools operating in Alberta have provincial accreditation.

In Saskatchewan, the provincial government provides partial funding, as of the 2011-12 school year. In order to receive funding, independent schools must meet certain criteria: follow provincial curriculum and policies, employ only certified teachers, and take part in student assessments and inspections (among other conditions). Meeting these criteria entitles schools to receive half of the per-student average provincial funding. Read the announcement as covered on our blog: Saskatchewan announces private school funding.

Both funded and non-funded independent schools operate in Manitoba. According to Measuring Choice and Competition in Canadian Education, published by the Fraser Institute in February, 2014, enrollment in Manitoba private schools is approximately 7.4% of the total student population.

To receive funding, schools must meet the provincial standard curriculum and hire Manitoba certified teachers. Funded independent schools in Manitoba receive 60 percent of the basic public school per-pupil grant. Manitoba private and independent schools classified as non-funded still receive an annual grant of $50 per student annually for textbooks.