01/07/2026
🚨 If Cherry-Picking Is Wrong, Let’s Apply the Rule Fairly.
Public education advocates — including the ATA — regularly accuse independent schools of “cherry-picking” students.
But that accusation ignores three inconvenient facts.
First:
Some publicly funded schools and programs in Alberta require applications, exams, recommendations, auditions, or portfolios.
They are selective by design — and publicly funded.
Second:
Independent schools receive only 70% of the base operating funding and no funding for buildings or capital costs.
Third:
Many independent schools do not exclude high-needs students by ideology.
In fact, several independent schools are Designated Special Education Programs (DSEPs) — specifically created to support children with complex learning, behavioural, and developmental needs.
These schools relieve pressure on the public system by serving students who would otherwise require significant public resources.
Beyond DSEPs, many independent schools that are not designated as special education schools still support students with IPP’s, learning differences, and additional needs — often with fewer resources than the public system receives.
When independent schools limit enrollment, it is usually because they lack the staffing, space, or funding to responsibly support additional students — not because they are unwilling to do so.
Calling that “elitism,” while ignoring:
- selective public programs
- affluent catchment schools
- capacity-based limits inside the public system
isn’t about equity. It’s about protecting a narrative.
Elitism already exists in Alberta’s public system.
It’s just hidden behind geography instead of tuition.
And until we’re honest about that, we’re not defending fairness —
we’re defending hypocrisy.
If you support independent education and parental choice, add your name at studentsfirstalberta.ca.
