About the CBE

Our District

We are one school system educating more than 142,000 students in over 250 schools. More than 16,000 employees work together to support student success.

Our work is guided by our Education Plan, which connects each CBE employee to student success. Together, we create an environment where each student can become an engaged learner, prepared for success in life, work and future learning.

Our Mission

Each student, in keeping with their individual abilities and gifts, will complete high school with a foundation of learning necessary to thrive in life, work and continued learning.

Our Values

Students come first.
Learning is our central purpose.
Public education serves the common good.

Our Community

Public education is a shared responsibility. With our students, families, employees, partners and communities, we work together every day to build positive learning and working environments because when our students succeed, our communities benefit. Together, we all make a difference.

We are fortunate to have relationships with many organizations and businesses in Calgary and Alberta. These relationships are varied in the ways that they help to support education and student success.

Partnering With The CBE

Our Schools and Area Offices

To manage the needs of our large school system and efficiently support our schools, we have divided our school district into seven administrative areas in Calgary. Each Area is led by two education directors who provide leadership support to principals in 17-20 schools. Each school is led by a principal who is responsible for meeting the learning needs of each student.

Our Service Units

Service units provide support to schools by:

helping teachers develop the best teaching methods and tools for student learning
hiring and developing the skills of our employees
looking after our schools and buildings
maintaining and improving learning technology
managing our finances
providing other services such as legal and communications support

Our Policies and Regulations

Governance Policies

The Board of Trustees has a set of policies called Policies and Operational Expectations that enables it to govern and monitor the outcomes and operations of the CBE. The Results are the Board’s expected outcomes for all students. Operational Expectations explain the responsibilities and work of the Chief Superintendent.

Administrative Regulations

The Chief Superintendent has policies called Administrative Regulations that guide every aspect of school and service unit operations. These include all aspects of our school system such as student registration, nutrition in schools and how much homework is appropriate for different grade levels.

Facts & Figures

Number of Students

For the 2025-2026 school year, CBE enrolment is 142,403 students, including Home Education, Outreach, Unique Settings, Chinook Learning and CBe-learn (our online learning program).