Schooling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, please answer this question which is in

[megan.jones_march1990]

the blurb below? Hey, my name is Megan Jones, i am from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and was wondering how the schooling system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada works? i hear you have Elementary, Junior High and Senior High, why have a 3 tire system, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Primary School starts in Preschool/Prep through year 7 and then we go of to high school in years 8-12, why seperate the secondary schooling system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada into Junior Highs and Senior Highs? why have a year 7-9 then year 10-12 system? Why also does the schooling year start in Sepetemeber unlike January for us and ends in decemeber? doesn't it make sense to start school in january and finish in december, not finishing school in the middle of the calandar year? whats up with that? also why are secondary school students allowed to leave the school grounds, when in Australia they can't? what is the pros and cons of school uniforms and why do most public schools in Canada allow free dress, we all in Australia have to? please answer these questions, I am considering of living there one day and want to know more, please answer these questions.

 

[thinkingtime]

That's a lot of questions in one. You can google each part of the question but bear in mind that different does not always mean worse.

 

[Mateo]

Actually in Alberta some districts also have Middle School as well.

There are other places in Canada (and even Alberta) that have only two separate schools (prep/elementary and then high school), but in the larger areas it seems to be more segregated. This is probably due to sheer numbers, there are probablymore students than only school can handle so they separate it more.

Our school year starts in September because that is late summer for us, whereas it starts in January or February in Australia because that is mid to late summer for you guys.

Typically you are allowed to leave school grounds here. I have not heard of a high school where you can't in Alberta. I'm not exactly sure as to why, probably the school boards don't want to infringe on the freedom of movement of the students. Most schools (and to my knowledge all public schools) in Alberta allow free dress. Uniforms are not a very common theme in North America. I thinkt he pros to that are obvious. There are some private schools, however, that do require uniforms.

Hope that answers your questions.