Schools & Education in Calgary: How It Works

Every school-age child in Calgary has a designated public school, decided by your home address and the program you choose. This guide explains the two public boards, how catchment works, the ages and timing for kindergarten, and how French immersion fits in, so your housing search and your school search can move together.

Two public boards, both free

Calgary has two publicly funded school systems. The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) is the secular public board and the larger of the two, open to all residents. The Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) prioritizes Catholic students inside a school's attendance area but also enrolls non-Catholic and out-of-area students when space permits. Both charge no tuition for kindergarten through Grade 12.

Your address picks your designated school

In both boards, your home address determines which school your child is designated to. For CBE, the Find a School tool on the board's website lets you search by address, program, or grade and shows your designated school. The Catholic board publishes attendance-area maps for the same purpose. Boundaries can change, so it is worth checking at the time you search, not assuming a school from last year's map.

Kindergarten ages and when to register

A child must turn 5 on or before December 31 of the calendar year to start kindergarten that fall, and must turn 6 by December 31 to start Grade 1. Every child has a designated CBE school offering regular kindergarten. Registration needs a completed form, proof of the child's age and legal name, and proof of address. New-student registration for the following September typically opens in January, so families moving mid-year should contact the school directly for a current start.

French immersion has its own rules

Both boards offer French immersion. CBE's Early French Immersion runs kindergarten to Grade 12 and accepts new students entering kindergarten or Grade 1 with no prior French required; Late French Immersion takes students entering Grade 7, with registration opening in mid-January. Immersion programs have their own designated schools, so find your designated immersion school by address through the Find a School tool.

School planning belongs in the house hunt

Because the school follows the address, families usually shortlist homes and schools together. If a catchment school matters to you, decide that before you fall for a house across a boundary. Svetlana works with relocating families on exactly this: match the community, the commute, and the school question in one honest conversation.