School of Choice

Pembina Trails students are encouraged to attend one of their ‘neighbourhood schools’ – a school within their catchment area. However, if you wish to enrol your child in a school outside of your catchment area, or if you live outside of the Pembina Trails School Division and would like to register your child at one of our schools, you may submit a School of Choice request. Please connect directly with the school for the next steps.

School of Choice requests are considered by the principal and the Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources. Decisions are based on provincial guidelines. Students are enrolled in the following order of priority:

•    Students living in the school’s catchment area
•    Students living in the division, but outside of the school’s catchment area
•    The siblings of students previously accepted under school of choice and living in the division
•    Students living in another division

Acceptance to attend a School of Choice is also influenced by:

•    School population, available space and resources
•    The date of application (applications are processed by the date received)

Several schools are not in a position to consider School of Choice due to over-enrolment. For 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, these include Acadia Junior High, Bairdmore, Crane, Fort Richmond Collegiate, Henry G. Izatt, South Pointe and Whyte Ridge.  Additionally, French Immersion students are not accepted from outside of Pembina Trails in K-9 because of capacity issues.

Kindergarten School of Choice applications are submitted only after the school’s Virtual Kindergarten Information Evening. 

For all other grades, School of Choice application forms may be submitted electronically or in person starting at 8:00 a.m. on the first school day in January, after the holiday break.   Applications received will be time-stamped in the order received. Schools will not accept School of Choice forms prior to this date and time.  Schools do not start accepting students outside catchment areas until April at the earliest.  All catchment students need to be accounted for and have a place in a classroom before a principal may accept enrollment of students under School of Choice.