Earlier this month, The Fraser Institute, published the annual rankings of Alberta secondary schools. Airdrie's high schools are included in those rankings.
"The Report Card on Alberta’s High Schools 2023 ranks 197 public, Catholic, independent and charter secondary schools based on eight academic indicators generated from Grade 12 provincewide testing, grade-to-grade transition and graduation rates," a release from the institute stated.
The institute said that it uses, 'objective, publicly-available data to rate and rank the schools, such as average scores on state tests provided by provincial education ministries.'
According to the data provided by the institute, four Airdrie high schools schools were among those ranked. The schools included: Rocky View School Division's (RVS) Bert Church High School, George McDougall High School, and W.H. Croxford High School. St. Martin De Porres High School, which is part of the Calgary Catholic School Division (CSSD) was also listed.
The institute said that it bases its overall rating (a score out of 10), based on:
- Average diploma examination mark.
- Percentage of diploma examinations failed.
- Difference between the school mark and examination mark in diploma courses.
- Difference between male and female students in the average value of their exam marks in English 30-1/2.
- Difference between male and female students in the average value of their exam marks in Mathematics 30-1/2.
- Diploma courses taken per student.
- Diploma completion rate
- Delayed advancement rate
Bert Church High School
The Fraser Institute ranked the school overall at 5.9 out of 10 from the measured indicators. On a provincial scale, the school was ranked 112 of 197 schools. The provincial ranking is a comparison of the school's academic performance in comparison to other schools across the province.
Data provided by the Fraser Institute shows Airdrie's Bert Church High School academic performance. (Graphic credit to Fraser Institute)George McDougall High School
George McDougall ranked an overall 5.5 out of 10, with a provincial ranking of 127 of out 197 schools.
Data provided by the Fraser Institute shows Airdrie's George McDougall High School's academic performance. (Graphic credit to Fraser Institute)W.H. Croxford High School
W.H. Croxford was ranked an average of 5.8 out of 10, sitting at 116 place out of 197, when compared to other schools across the province.
Data provided by the Fraser Institute shows Airdrie's W.H. Croxford High School's academic performance. (Graphic credit to Fraser Institute)
St. Martin De Porres High School
Airdrie's only Catholic High School ranked highest in comparison to the other Airdrie high schools schools, in terms of the average score. St. Martin was ranked at 7.2 out of 10, sitting in 46 place out of 197, when comparing performance rank to other schools.
Data provided by the Fraser Institute shows Airdrie's St. Martin De Porres High School's academic performance. (Graphic credit to Fraser Institute)
Overall comparisons
An overall comparison of the four high schools in Airdrie is included in the Fraser Institute's findings. (Graphic credit to Fraser Institute)"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 Peter Cowley, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.
Fraser Institue also underlined that contrary to common misconceptions, the data suggest every school is capable of improvement regardless of type, location and student characteristics.
"For example, Fort Saskatchewan High is one of the province’s fastest-improving schools, climbing from a score of 4.5 (out of 10) in 2016 to 6 in 2022, the latest year of available comparable data, despite 16.1 per cent of students having special needs who require additional support."
Over the same period, J. Percy Page school in Edmonton improved from a score of 3.5 to 5.3—despite 25.9 per cent of the school’s students being English Language Learners.
"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 suggest otherwise," Cowley said.
However, the institute also cautions parents to not choose a high school for their children based on academics alone.
"The rankings reflect how the school is doing academically compared to the others in the report card. But there are lots of other aspects of a school and its programs that you may wish to consider. You can get a better idea about what the school will offer your child by visiting the school’s website and by talking to the principal, teachers, and other parents," the institute's website states.
According to the Annual Education Results Report (AERR) for 2021-2022, which was released by Rocky View Schools in 2022, students in the district were falling behind provincial averages when it comes to Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs).
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