Fraser Institute News Release: Annual Alberta elem

CALGARY, April 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calgary has nearly double the number of schools that Edmonton has in the top 100 of the Fraser Institute’s annual ranking of Alberta elementary schools released today.

The Report Card on Alberta’s Elementary Schools, 2018 ranks 819 public, separate, francophone, independent and charter schools based on seven academic indicators derived from provincewide test results.

“Educators in Edmonton should ask their counterparts in Calgary what, if anything, Calgary schools do differently so schools in the Edmonton area might learn and improve,” said Peter Cowley, director of school performance studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the report.

Of the 103 top-ranked schools provincewide, 58 were from Calgary and the surrounding area compared to only 31 from the Edmonton area. Notably, Edmonton actually has more schools (276) than Calgary (249) included in the ranking.

This year’s report card also found a statistically significant improvement in the average Grade 6 math and science test results (for all Alberta schools) over the past four years. Average math scores increased from 56.6 per cent in 2013 to 61.5 per cent in 2017, and science scores jumped from 66.2 per cent to 69.5 per cent over the same period.

Across Alberta, 46 schools experienced statistically significant declines in their ratings over the past four years, and 40 schools—located across the province—improved over the same period.

“No one type of school has a monopoly on improvement, and successful schools find ways to improve no matter what challenges their students face,” Cowley said.

For detailed results of all 819 schools, to see how individual schools performed over the past four years, or to compare schools, visit www.compareschoolrankings.org .

MEDIA CONTACT : Peter Cowley, Director, School Performance Studies (in Calgary) Fraser Institute Cell: (604) 789-0475 Email: peter.cowley@fraserinstitute.org

For more information, please contact: Bryn Weese, Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute Office: 604-688-0221 ext. 589 Cell: 604-250-8076 Email: bryn.weese@fraserinstitute.org

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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org