New to Canada

Welcome

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) is Calgary's public school system. We welcome all children and youth to our schools. Our schools are welcoming, caring, respectful and safe environments where students will learn, make new friends, and discover their talents and interests.

Register Your Child for School

Students new to Canada but who have Canadian citizenship should follow the standard new student registration process.

Students who are not Canadian citizens must register through CBE Welcome Centre, even if they have attended school elsewhere in Canada. This includes:

Permanent Residents
Refugee Claimants
Children of lawfully admitted temporary residents
- Parents / Legal Guardians on work permits
- Parents / Legal Guardians on study permits
Parents / Legal Guardians is permanent resident or Canadian and their child is not

Interpreters are available to assist. There is no cost to families for language interpretation services.

School Year Registration

Online Registration Form (SchoolEngage)

Who is Registered Using the Online Form?

Children registering for an Early Childhood Services (Kindergarten) regular program.
Students resident to CBE (see Child and Student Registration and Admission) registering in a regular program.

Legal Guardians / Parents

Start your child’s registration by following the required steps.

Start Registration

Please ensure you upload all required documents to avoid delays in processing your application.

If you are new to CBE, after submitting your registration through SchoolEngage, Welcome Centre staff will contact you to arrange an appointment to complete the registration.

Need Help?
Contact the Welcome Centre at 403-817-7789 or welcome@cbe.ab.ca.

English Language Assessment

All students new to CBE in Grades 1 to 12 who are not a Canadian citizen and who speak a language at home other than English, will complete an English Language Proficiency Assessment.

Students will be assessed on their ability to:

Speak
Read
Write
Understand English

Your child’s school can appropriately support your child’s English as additional language learning needs based on the results of the assessment.

If your child is a Canadian citizen and/or if your child is in Kindergarten, the English Language proficiency assessment is done by the staff at the school.