Calgary Academy

My son went to CA from Grade 2-12. When he entered the school he couldn't read a stitch and absolutely dreaded going to school. Within two weeks of first attending, he wanted to go to school and thrived thereafter in a very hands on classroom with very proactive teachers. In the end, he was pre-admitted to four of the five universities he applied to and continues to thrive pursuing a B.Comm. This program may not be for everyone but I can say that it worked way beyond our hopes/expectations for our son.

You know, you'd think that with a program that focuses on literary and numeracy skills and touts that everyone has an ipp and charges 5x as much for an application fee would be more open to kids who have these issues. It's kind of a money grab to take that and then turn your kid down and not give the refund as offered in your open house

I had three children at this school for 2 years. I would absolutely never recommend this school to an expat family who plans to leave the country and transition into a new school system. You will be shocked at just how far behind your kids are. In our case, my children were far more capable than we were led to believe. We received more remediation and support at other schools in Calgary and Calgary Academy was not at all what we were led to believe it was. We feel we were mislead by Irena in admissions. Specific resources, Orton gillingham and other specific remediation programs to address dyslexia and dysgraphia we were told were available were not at all. For a school with so many students with learning disabilities they do not even have an in house occupational therapist, but just one that rotates between schools and sees far too few students at CA in ineffective large groups. We also had to jump through hoops to get time with the OT in a group setting. In previous schools our child had OT one on one and far more frequently. We had far too many negative experiences with students who clearly had severe behavior disorders and could not act appropriately or were severely distracting. We had a situation where a student was exposing their genitals repeatedly to our child and other students. The lack of concern or response from admin was disturbing. We also had another incident where a student brought in a toy gun and was repeatedly pointing it at students heads in a school performance in front of parents. It took multiple emails with admin to even get a response to our concerns. If I could turn back the clock I would never have sent my children there. They were capable of so much more, and we would have been far better off in a more academic environment. There are much better options in Calgary if you really want to help your child and are looking for support for a learning disability. In one year’s time away from Calgary academy my kids have had to make up for lost time and also have gained at least 2 grade levels of math. They have excelled now that they are out of CA and in an environment that challenges them but also recognizes what they need. CA clearly did not offer any challenge. My son tells me he’s learned more in one month in his new school than in a full year at CA. There are some really great teachers at CA and if you’re lucky enough to have them you just might have a great year. We have also had teachers that in our experience have absolutely no business working with children. We had an experience with one teacher who we felt was not only a very inexperienced teacher, but also negligent. She went out of her way to hurt our child out of her negative feeling towards myself for speaking to admin about her negligence. Overall we were so disappointed on so many levels that I would never recommend this school to anyone. For perspective, my eldest child was in the academy program, and before coming to CA was always at level or above grade level in math. Upon leaving CA he was nearly two grade levels behind. One year in a new country and new school system and he is now entering an accelerated high school program in a university taking all college level classes with a focus in science and engineering and gaining college credits while completing high school, He was more than capable, the bar was just too low for him. The environment at CA didn’t foster academic growth at a level our kids were capable of.

During my time as a student in grades 4-9, I believe I was let down in terms of the support I received for my learning disabilities. Upon transitioning to the public education system, I experienced a significant improvement in support and overall happiness compared to my time at CA.

this school used to be is helpful for my children, recently my children have not been getting the accommodation needed for their education, an example of this absences is teachers not knowing what they're teaching and teachers making children cry. I am disgusted by the amount of money and effort I put in to get my children into this school. what a waste.

Amazing school, supports all types of special needs for children, including ADHD, ADD, autism, Down syndrome, and more. 100% recommend the school for your child. Thank The school also works on life skills, such as self control skills and social interaction development. As a student at the school, I find it very diverse full children with different interests that go from playing Fortnite or clothing, interests all the way to dungeons and dragons or boardgames. For school also has a strong belief in LGBT+ inclusivity. definitely recommend the school if your child is looking to expand their education, community, or, in general, looking to improve in a skill. Feel free to ask questions on different teachers or clubs that are already at the school.

The best butternut squash soup in the cafeteria! Super smooth!