Alberta could see better student results and higher parental satisfaction by expanding access to charter schools, a new report from the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) finds.Charter schools in Alberta are publicly funded but operate independently of school boards, tailoring education to meet needs not addressed in traditional public schools. This includes at-risk youth, children with special needs, or students pursuing specializations such as STEM or sports. Provincial Achievement Test results in Grades 6 and 9 show that, on average, charter schools outperform other school types in the province.Charter schools also drive innovation across Alberta’s education system. Technologies such as iPads and approaches like mastery-based learning were first introduced in charter schools before being adopted more widely..Demand for charter school spots has surged in recent years, growing by 55.3% between the 2019-2020 and 2024-2025 school years, compared to 8.8% in public schools. However, available spots have not kept pace with demand.In the 2023-2024 school year, 20,585 students were on waitlists for just three of Alberta’s 19 charter school authorities. Many schools now rely on lottery-based admissions, leaving parents dependent on luck rather than choice..The MEI recommends measures to improve access, including transparent waitlist reporting, allowing charter schools to own and operate their facilities, and enabling them to finance facility purchases through debt.“The more responsive that educational institutions are to the needs of their communities, the better served Alberta families will be,” said MEI economist Emmanuelle B. Faubert, co-author of the report. “By measuring those needs accurately and liberalizing how charter schools can operate, we will be doing our very best to ensure the success and flourishing of future generations.”
