Education Rights  |  Access to Education

Alberta offers universally accessible education.

Access Criteria

Access criteria is outlined in the School Act and the Funding Manual for School Authorities.

As of September 1 of each school year, every child who meets the following criteria is allowed access to education:

• Six years of age or older and younger than 19 years of age
• One of the following:
  
  • a Canadian citizen
  • has been admitted to Canada for permanent residence
  • has a parent who is a Canadian citizen
  • has a parent who has been admitted to Canada for permanent or temporary residence

Public and Separate Schools

Alberta has one publicly funded education system with two dimensions, public schools and separate schools.

Public and separate schools, which are operated by locally elected officials and overseen by the Government of Alberta, teach the Alberta curriculum to eligible students. Public and separate schools may choose optional programs as needed to meet the unique needs of their students and communities.