Photo: Andrawaag · CC BY-SA 4.0Big Lakes County’s schools mostly sit under the middle in Alberta, 7 of the 7 with results
They come under 4 school boards. Within 3 km of Big Lakes County are 2 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools and 4 schools for every grade, teaching 1,648 students.
How Big Lakes County’s schools do on Alberta’s tests
The Provincial Achievement Tests in Grades 6 and 9: each school against every school in Alberta.
Its School Grade is D−: it compares these results with the other towns of the province.
The area’s schools by fifth of the province
Each school’s band is the average of its measures’ fifths. The mark shows an even fifth of the area’s schools.
| Measure | Schools | Middle here | Alberta |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAT: acceptable standard | 7 | 39% | 67% |
| PAT: standard of excellence | 7 | 2% | 13% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is the standard of excellence: 2% here, against 13% in Alberta.
Every school’s results (7)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Swan Hills SchoolAll grades · Grades K–12 | Acceptable 45% · Excellence 6% | Bottom fifth |
| Gift Lake SchoolAll grades · Grades K–10 | Acceptable 18% · Excellence 1% | Bottom fifth |
| High Prairie Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades K–6 | Acceptable 42% · Excellence 3% | Bottom fifth |
| Joussard SchoolElementary · Grades K–6 | Acceptable 13% · Excellence 0% | Bottom fifth |
| Kinuso SchoolAll grades · Grades K–12 | Acceptable 21% · Excellence 2% | Bottom fifth |
| Prairie River Junior High SchoolSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Acceptable 40% · Excellence 4% | Bottom fifth |
| St. Andrew's SchoolAll grades · Grades K–12 | Acceptable 39% · Excellence 2% | Bottom fifth |
Alberta Education and Childcare, PAT multiyear school results (core courses pooled). Alberta’s own notes: breaches in 2021–22, wildfires in 2022–24, the January 2026 sitting cancelled, pilot-curriculum students excused. Open Government Licence – Alberta.
Which of the 4 boards runs which school
The boards and their schools here.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| The High Prairie School DivisionHigh Prairie, E W Pratt, Kinuso, Prairie River Junior, Joussard | English public | 5 | 919 |
| The Northland School DivisionGift Lake | English public | 1 | 143 |
| The Holy Family Catholic Separate School DivisionSt. Andrew's | English Catholic | 1 | 398 |
| The Pembina Hills School DivisionSwan Hills | English public | 1 | 188 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
Where the 8 schools in and around Big Lakes County are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists; Alberta’s missing ones from OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim (© OpenStreetMap contributors).
Schooling in English and French around Big Lakes County
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Alberta.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Alberta.
None of them teaches in French.
Section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives French-speaking parents the right to French-language schooling for their children, through the French-language boards.
Who runs Big Lakes County’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
Their systems: English public 7 and English Catholic 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Big Lakes County
The neighbourhood school
Boards set boundaries for each school; living inside one guarantees a place there, and moving across one usually means a request.
Catholic schools
Catholic schools are public here, run by separate boards that set their own admissions.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 8 schools in and around Big Lakes County
Towns its size in Alberta
Towns of a similar population, with their schools in or within 3 km; described, not ranked.
| Town | Population | Schools | Students | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walden | 8,190 | 15 | 10,704 | 0 | 1.3 km |
| … | |||||
| Bannerman | 5,187 | 24 | 9,342 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Didsbury | 5,185 | 4 | 1,952 | 0 | 0.3 km |
| Rundle Heights | 5,175 | 27 | 11,579 | 0 | 0.7 km |
| Kneehill County | 5,129 | 13 | 2,902 | 0 | 1.2 km |
| Big Lakes County | 5,106 | 8 | 1,648 | 0 | 21 km |
| Queen Alexandra | 5,106 | 55 | 25,260 | 4 | 0.8 km |
| Twin Brooks | 5,102 | 28 | 19,751 | 0 | 1.6 km |
| Edgemont | 5,059 | 11 | 6,300 | 0 | 0.9 km |
| Capilano | 5,046 | 44 | 18,868 | 3 | 0.3 km |
| … | |||||
| Clear Hills | 3,110 | 2 | 115 | 0 | 13 km |
More schools than here: 234 of the 277 others. In 125 of the 278, at least one school teaches in French.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Boards and systems. Public and Catholic boards are both publicly funded here, in English and in French; an independent school answers to no board.
- The year. Listed for 2025/26.
- Bands, not ranks. Bands compare within Alberta only: never a place in a league table.
- What isn’t here. Inspection reports with ratings don’t exist here, and the lists give enrolment for one year at most.
- The kinds of school. Elementary means kindergarten to Grade 6 or 8, secondary up to Grade 12 (Secondary V in Quebec); a few schools take every grade.
- Which schools count. A school counts when it sits inside Big Lakes County or less than 3 km beyond its edge.
Questions about schools in Big Lakes County
Which boards run the schools in Big Lakes County?
By number of schools: The High Prairie School Division (5), The Northland School Division (1), The Holy Family Catholic Separate School Division (1) and The Pembina Hills School Division (1).
How do I get a place at a school in Big Lakes County?
Contact the board: it names the school for your address and takes the registration.
How many schools are there in Big Lakes County?
3 in the town, 5 just beyond it, within 3 km.
Is there a French-language school in Big Lakes County?
None within 3 km of Big Lakes County. The French-language board serves it from schools further off.
Sources: Alberta Education and Childcare, school enrolment 2025/26 (Open Government Licence – Alberta) · map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).