One Edmonton and two Calgary high schools were the best in Alberta when it comes to academic performance, according to the Fraser Institute’s Report Card on Alberta High Schools 2023. “The report card offers parents information they can’t easily get anywhere else, about how schools perform over time and how they compare to other schools in Alberta,” said Fraser Institute senior fellow Peter Cowley in a press release. The Fraser Institute said Old Scona Academic School in Edmonton and the Calgary French and International School and Webber Academy in Calgary achieved perfect scores of 10/10. After these schools was Rundle College in Calgary (9.7). This was followed by Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in Okotoks (9.5), FFCA South High School in Calgary (9.3), and Edmonton Islamic Academy and Millwoods Christian School in Edmonton (9.1). At the other end was Mistassiniy School in Wabasca, with the worst score possible (0). Contrary to common misconceptions, the Fraser Institute said every school is capable of improvement regardless of type, location, and student characteristics. For example, it said Fort Saskatchewan High School was one of Alberta’s fast-improving schools, climbing from a score of 4.5 in 2016 to six in 2022, with 16.1% of students having special needs requiring additional supports. Over the same period, it said J. Percy Page High School in Edmonton improved from a score of 3.5 to 5.3, with 25.9% of its students being English as a second language students. “We often hear that schools can’t improve student performance because of the communities and students they serve, but the findings in our school report card suggests otherwise,” said Cowley. The study ranked 197 public, Catholic, independent and charter high schools based on eight academic indicators generated from Grade 12 provincewide testing, grade transitions, and graduation rates.
