Calgary Catholic’s admittance, but non-prioritization of non-Catholic students has raised questions for some local parents.
With many Calgary Catholic schools at capacity, parents may be asked to confirm their child’s resident or Catholic status to help their odds at moving to the next grade in the same school.
In a social media post on a Calgary parents Facebook group, Thy Lanh said she received an email from her daughter’s school saying that because of capacity stress, she’d need to produce a baptismal certificate to confirm her daughter’s space in the school.
The 676 new CCSD students in 2025 proved to be slower enrolment growth compared to the early 2020s registration booms.
While the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) asking for extra documentation as a result of full classes has come to a surprise to some, the district is currently in catch-up mode after previous packed years, officials said back in November 2025. Eleven district school construction and modernization projects are currently in progress.
In her post, Lanh wondered if moving her child to a new school could be the worst case scenario. LWC reached out to Lanh for further comment and received no response.
In a statement shared with LWC from the CCSD, the district said that while they welcome and enroll non-resident students in schools, they reassess non-resident student enrolment annually and are required to prioritize enrolment for resident students. In most cases, resident status is confirmed at time of student registration and should not require further documentation.
“In situations where a school is at or near capacity and space or resources are limited, schools may need to confirm resident status in order to prioritize enrolment in accordance with provincial legislation,” the statement reads.
“This may involve requesting documentation, such as a baptismal certificate, to verify resident (Catholic) status. These situations arise only when enrolment pressures require prioritization, and decisions are guided by legislative requirements and available capacity.”
Continued non-resident student enrolment is dependent on whether the district has sufficient resources and facilities to continue to accommodate non-resident students. CCSD cannot guarantee the advancement of non-resident students from one grade to the next in the same school or from elementary to junior high and high school, they said.
On their website’s registration page, the district notes that for resident students, a copy of a child or parent’s Catholic baptismal certificate may also be required if applicable. The site makes no mention of the certificates for non-resident students, but does note those students will not receive enrolment priority.
