Public institutions top improved Alberta high schools

The Fraser Institute’s latest Report Card on Alberta High Schools indicates that most of the fastest improving schools are public institutions.

The study rates 307 public, private, separate and charter schools based on five academic indicators generated from grade 12 province-wide testing, grade-to-grade transition and graduation rates.

“Alberta parents want the best for their families and having the ability to compare school performance helps them make a more informed decision about the school their children attend,” says Peter Cowley, Fraser Institute director of school performance studies.

Taking into account the last five years, Alberta’s two charter high schools achieved the highest average rating of 8.3 (out of 10), followed by private schools (8.1), separate schools (6.3) and public schools (6.0).

The data suggests that every school is capable of improvement regardless of the type of school, its location and the proportion of students with special needs or students in English as a Second Language programs.

For example, the school enjoying the fastest statistically significant improvement over the past five years is Ecole Mallaig School, a public school in north-eastern Alberta. Despite having 25 per cent of its students identified as special needs learners, Mallaig’s overall rating has steadily improved to 7.7 (out of 10) in 2015 from 3.5 in 2011.

Of the 10 fastest-improving schools, all are public schools.

“When parents see the Report Card’s objective evidence that a school’s results are consistently low or declining, they often become very effective advocates for improvement,” Cowley says.

“Every year, every school in the province should find ways to improve student results – it’s as simple as that.”

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