Calgary charter schools: all campuses, deadlines and how each one admits
Calgary has 15 publicly funded charter school campuses. All of them are tuition-free and all of them admit city-wide — there is no catchment area, so any Calgary family can apply to any campus.
What differs is how each one decides. Six admit by lottery, seven run a rolling waitlist ordered by the date you apply, and two require a private cognitive assessment before a hard deadline.
This guide lists every campus, every 2027 application date, and what each school actually asks of you. There is no ranking here and no "best school" score — the useful question is fit and logistics, not league tables.
Verified 2026-09-11 2027 entry Free · no signup
All campuses at a glance
Every charter campus in Calgary. Scroll sideways for the remaining columns.
| Campus | Admits by | Closes | Grades | Focus | Fees | Busing | Sibling priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmount Charter Elementary Elementary | Assessment | K–4 | Gifted | Tuition-free | Yes, fee | Yes - after assessment hurdle | |
| Westmount Charter Mid-High Mid-High | Assessment | Gr 5–12 | Gifted | Tuition-free | Yes, fee | Yes - after assessment hurdle | |
| STEM Innovation Academy South West | Lottery | Gr 5–12 | STEM | Tuition-free | Yes, fee | Yes — for Grades 7 and 10 only | |
| Connect Charter School Lewis Dr SW | Lottery | Gr 4–9 | STEM | Enrich. fee | Yes, fee | Yes, in the Grade 4 lottery | |
| Calgary Girls’ School Bowmont | Lottery | Gr 4–9 | Girls-only | Tuition-free | Yes, fee | Yes | |
| Calgary Classical Academy North campus | Lottery | K–6 | Classical | Full-day K fee | Not guaranteed | TBC · Confirm with school | |
| Calgary Classical Academy South campus | Lottery | K–6 | Classical | Full-day K fee | Not guaranteed | Yes - within campus, not between | |
| Calgary Arts Academy Knob Hill | Rolling waitlist | Any time | K–6 | Arts | $50 application | Yes, fee | Yes |
| Calgary Arts Academy Rosscarrock | Rolling waitlist | Any time | Gr 7–9 | Arts | $50 application | Yes, fee | Yes |
| FFCA North elementary | Rolling waitlist | Any time | K–6 | Traditional | Uniform + fees | Yes, fee | Yes |
| FFCA South elementary | Rolling waitlist | Any time | K–6 | Traditional | Uniform + fees | Yes, fee | Yes |
| FFCA High school | Rolling waitlist | Any time | Gr 10–12 | Traditional | Uniform + fees | Yes, fee | Yes |
| Almadina Language Academy Ogden | Rolling waitlist | Any time | K–6 | ESL | Tuition-free | Yes, fee | Yes |
| Almadina Language Academy Mountain View | Rolling waitlist | Any time | Gr 7–9 | ESL | Tuition-free | Yes, fee | Yes |
2027 application deadlines, in order
The campuses with a date.
- Westmount Charter Elementary Elementary · Kindergarten entryHard
- Westmount Charter Mid-High Mid-High · Grade 5 entryHard
- STEM Innovation Academy South West · Grade 5 entryDraw
- Connect Charter School Lewis Dr SW · Grade 4 entryWindow
- Calgary Girls’ School Bowmont · Grade 4 entryDraw
- Calgary Classical Academy North campus · Kindergarten entryDraw
- Calgary Classical Academy South campus · Kindergarten entryDraw
- No deadline · apply any time CAA Knob Hill, CAA Rosscarrock, FFCA North, FFCA South, FFCA High, Almadina Ogden, Almadina MVRolling · 7 campuses
The three ways in
Admission method matters more than anything else on this page. It decides what you have to do, and when you have to do it.
Lottery
5 campuses
A random draw among applications received in a fixed window. No test — but miss the window and you wait a year.
Rolling waitlist
7 campuses
Ranked by the date your application is received. Apply the day you can; there is nothing to wait for.
Assessment
2 campuses
Testing or audition arranged by you, then a hard application deadline. Start months ahead.
Questions parents ask
Do charter schools cost money?
No — all charter schools are publicly funded and tuition-free, exactly like a CBE school. You may still pay for extras, which vary by school, some of which are required while others are optional: a full-day kindergarten, uniforms, annual enrichment or activity fees, busing, or a one-off application fees.
Can I apply to more than one charter school?
Yes, and there is no penalty for doing it. Each charter school is its own board and runs its own admissions, so an application to one has no effect on your odds at any other.
Does where I live in Calgary matter?
Not for eligibility — every Calgary charter school admits city-wide and none has a catchment area. Your address can still matter in two practical ways: FFCA uses proximity as a tie-breaker after application date when ranking its waitlist, and busing availability and cost depend on how far you are from the campus.
How is a charter school different from a CBE alternative program?
The difference is who admits you. A charter school is an independent public school with its own board, and it admits city-wide by lottery, by waitlist date, or by assessment. A CBE alternative program — a traditional learning centre, a fine arts program, or GATE — is run by the Calgary Board of Education and admits by catchment, zone or internal referral.
How does admission work for a Charter school?
Three methods: Lottery, rolling waitlist, or assessment. A lottery is a random draw among every application received inside a fixed window. A rolling waitlist is ranked by the date your application arrives, with no deadline at all. Westmount campuses require a private cognitive assessment you arrange yourself, submitted before a hard deadline.
When do Charter school applications close for 2027 entry?
The earliest deadline is November 28, 2026 Westmount campuses. Then come STEM Innovation Academy, Connect Charter School, and Calgary Girls’ School in January. Calgary Classical Academy draws on February 2, 2027. The rolling-waitlist campuses have no deadline — you can apply on any day of the year.
Do siblings get priority at Calgary charter schools?
At most of them, yes, but not universally and not on identical terms. Check the details on school's admission FAQ.
What happens if my child is not drawn in the lottery?
It depends on the school, and the difference is worth knowing before you apply. Connect carries its waitlist over from year to year, while Calgary Classical Academy and Calgary Girls’ School hold theirs only for the school year. Westmount keeps no waitlist at all — if you are not accepted you reapply the following year, including repeating the application.
Always confirm a deadline with the school.
Deadlines and admissions rules on our site are kept up to date, best effort. Schools may change criteria and timelines without notice. Always follow what's on the school's site.