Calgary high schools coming out on top

Calgary high schools are coming out on top in a set of academic rankings released Saturday.

The Fraser Institute report ranks 279 Alberta high schools by academic performance and included 13 Calgary schools in the top 24. Only two of the top 24 schools are in Edmonton.

"Improving schools should be the ones that other schools that have not yet been so successful will look to to find out the answer to the very important question, 'what have you done to improve the results of your classes year after year after year?'" says report co-author Peter Cowley.

Two Calgary schools Rundle College and Webber Academy are among the four schools tied for first place.

The highest ranking public school in Calgary is Winston Churchill, sitting in sixth place provincially.

While the results can help give parents an idea of which schools perform strongly on academics, Cowley says that there are many other measures that parents might want to keep in mind, depending on their child's needs and interests.

"How is the school doing in encouraging the kids to involve themselves in activities like sports?" he says. "How is the school doing in encouraging participation in the fine arts, and acquiring leadership, citizenship and teamwork skills? Any of that might be important."

The full list of rankings is available on the report's website.