Incoming and some existing students at 32 regular programs and 33 alternative programs at the Calgary Board of Education will be placed in a lottery process on Feb. 12 to determine their school placement for the upcoming academic year.
According to the CBE’s website, the lottery process exists to “ensure fair and equitable access” to schools, programs or grades with a student population at capacity or over capacity. While lotteries are usually conducted for incoming students, the CBE said lotteries may be held for specific grades or programs.
Unsuccessful students will be overflowed to designated overflow schools and placed on a call-back list based on priority.
Priority 1 students are those living within a school’s walk zone who have a sibling who will be attending the same program in the same school, concurrently.
Priority 2 students are those living outside walk zones but in the designated area for the school with siblings in the same program at the same school concurrently. Students living within the walk zone who do not have a sibling in the school are also in this category.
All other students living in the designated attendance area will be in Priority 3.
Parents must submit their registration or expressions of interest for schools with lotteries by noon on Feb. 11, 2025. Regular program registrations received after the lottery draw will be overflowed to their designated overflow school. Students registering for an alternative program after the lottery draw must register for their designated regular program school.
A full list of regular programs and alternative programs in the lottery system is available on the CBE website.
The lotteries come after the CBE saw another record year for student enrolments. According to data from the district, 142,402 students were enrolled as of Sept. 30, 2024. This is a three per cent increase year-over-year, or around 4,158 students.
The CBE also said enrolment has surged by more than 17,000 since September 2021.
“When a regular program school reaches its capacity, enrolment is capped, and an overflow school is established. An overflow helps to alleviate overcrowding in schools and does not affect current students already attending the school. New students may need to go to a different location until a spot becomes available at their designated regular program school,” Joanne Anderson, a spokesperson for the CBE, told LWC in an emailed statement.
“The lottery process for regular and alternative programming provides fair access for all students. While the two types of programming differ in capacity, the lottery process operates similarly: it is used only when applications exceed available spaces, though the reasons for this may vary.”
Anderson added that every student is guaranteed a place at a school if they are registered in regular programming. However, spaces in alternative programs are limited. These programs maintain waitlists until Sept. 30 each year, and unsuccessful students must apply to another alternative program or register with their designated program school.
By contrast, waitlists for regular programs remain active year-round and overflowed students are offered the option to transfer to their community school if space becomes available.
“Some alternative programs offer the opportunity to apply each year, while others have specific entry points based on the program’s structure. For instance, French immersion typically allows entry only in Kindergarten, Grade 1, or Grade 7. These details vary by program and may be worth considering when planning for future applications,” Anderson said.
