Calgary Catholic School District

The district was founded on 18 December 1885 as the Lacombe Roman Catholic School District No. 1 in what was then part of the North West Territories. Its first school, also built in 1885, was St. Mary's, which is the oldest operating school in Calgary (though in a newer building).{{cite web|url=https://www.cssd.ab.ca/history|title=CSSD: Our History|website=www.cssd.ab.ca}}

The CSSD is second in size (by student count) to the city's main school board, the public Calgary Board of Education (CBE). Unlike the Calgary Board of Education, the territory of the CSSD extends slightly outside the municipal limits of the city. It is the largest publicly funded Catholic School District in Western Canada. {{cite web|url=https://caps-i.ca/school/calgary-catholic-school-district/#:~:text=We%20are%20the%20largest%20publicly,Learning%20In%20Our%20Catholic%20Faith.|title=Calgary Catholic School District|publisher=Canadian Association of Public Schools – International|access-date=2 September 2024}}

For the 2020 - 2021 school year, there were over 59,000 students in the CSSD,{{cite web|url=https://www.cssd.ab.ca/AboutUs/DistrictGovernance/FinanceAndBusiness/Documents/2020%E2%80%932021DistrictOperatingBudget.pdf|title=Calgary Catholic School District - District Operating Budget 2020 - 2021|publisher=Calgary Catholic School District|access-date=5 October 2020}} with 118 schools in total.{{cite web|url=https://calgarycatholicschools.sharepoint.com/sites/public/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2Fpublic%2FShared%20Documents%2FPublic%2FDistrict%2FAbout%2FSchoolStaffNumbers%5FSep30%2D20%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2Fpublic%2FShared%20Documents%2FPublic%2FDistrict%2FAbout&p=true|title=School And Staff Numbers|publisher=Calgary Catholic School District|access-date=5 January 2022}}

A group of seven elected trustees run the CSSD. Trustees represent wards in the city, as well as neighboring communities. They are elected every three years, in the regular municipal election. In the election, Calgary voters can only vote for a trustee to one (not both) of the two school boards. Voters for the CSSD will include Catholics and non-Catholics who support the Catholic system. The public (CBE) and Catholic (CSSD) systems operate independently of each other, and are both under the direct authority of the provincial government of Alberta. The last election was in October 2017.

File:Bishop Carroll High School 5.jpg (photo taken in 2006)]]

File:St Mary's High School.jpg (photo taken in 2005)]]

The CSSD offers a variety of specialized programs, including Advanced Placement, Fine Arts, the Hockey Canada Skills Academy, Home Study, International Baccalaureate, Languages, Single Gender and Year-Round Education. There is also the Self-Directed Learning program at Bishop Carroll High School, which allows students to move through the Alberta curriculum at their own individual pace.{{cite web |url=https://www.cssd.ab.ca/Programs/ProgramOptions/Pages/default.aspx |title=CCSD |website=www.cssd.ab.ca |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816162125/https://www.cssd.ab.ca/Programs/ProgramOptions/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=2016-08-16}}

In Alberta, an elementary school normally teaches Kindergarten to Grade 6, while a junior high school teaches Grades 7–9. Some junior high schools are combined with high schools or elementary schools. Some schools may have French Immersion in Grade 7, 8 or 9. The following list provides information on CSSD elementary and junior high schools.{{cite web|url=https://www.cssd.ab.ca/schools|title=CSSD: Our Schools|website=www.cssd.ab.ca}}

In Alberta, a senior high school teaches Grades 10-12 (what other jurisdictions call "secondary schools"). However, some may not teach all three grades. Also, some may also teach earlier grades. The following is a list of CSSD senior high schools.

• List of Alberta school boards

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• {{cite web|url=http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2000/0605/fralbertlacombe060500.shtml |title=Lacombe trumpeted education: Early Oblate helped establish residential schools, Catholic education |author=Ramon Gonzalez |work=Western Catholic Reporter |date=June 5, 2005 |access-date=January 16, 2006 |archive-date=October 4, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004185014/http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2000/0605/fralbertlacombe060500.shtml |url-status=dead }}

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• {{Official website|http://www.cssd.ab.ca/ }}

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Category:School districts in Alberta

Category:Roman Catholic schools in Alberta

Category:Education in Calgary