Cochrane Schools Guide: Public & Private Education Near Your New Home

Whether you're a parent moving to Cochrane and scouting out the best learning environment for your child or a student curious about colleges near home, the schools in Cochrane have plenty of options to explore. Discover which school districts Cochrane schools are located in, what charter and private schools are near the town of Cochrane, and which universities are less than an hour away.

Public School Districts Serving Cochrane

Several public school districts serve the Cochrane community, which consists of elementary, middle, and high schools falling under the Rocky View Schools, Calgary Catholic Schools, and Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud Districts.

Cochrane Schools in the Rocky View School District

• Fireside School (K–8)
• Glenbow Elementary (K–4 French Immersion)
• École Elizabeth Barrett Elementary (K–4 French Immersion)
• RancheView School (K–8)
• Cochrane Christian Academy (K–8 Christian)
• Mitford School (5–8 French Immersion)
• École Manchaban Middle School (5–8 French Immersion)
• Bow Valley High School (9–12)
• Cochrane High School (9–12 French Immersion)

Fireside School offers before and after-school programs, online registration, and a school nutrition program. The school is located just off Highway 22 in the Fireside master-planned community.

Glenbow Elementary has an Early French Immersion program, an all-day snacks program, and a Child Development Advisor. It’s located in the Glenbow neighbourhood and has before/after-school programs at Boys & Girls Club of Cochrane.

Elizabeth Barrett Elementary is another Early French Immersion school. It’s located in the Cochrane Heights neighbourhood alongside Manchaban Middle and Cochrane High, an area called the “Tri-School Site.”

RancheView School is in the Sunset Ridge master-planned community. It has before/after-school programs at Calgary Child’s Play like Fireside.

Manachaban Middle School is a dual-track French Immersion, English language school. The school is located off Chinook Drive in the Tri-School Site.

Mitford School, located in the West Valley neighbourhood, began its French Immersion programming in 2023 with its fifth-grade students at the same time as Cochrane Christian Academy, formerly in the same building, moved to Powell Street in Downtown Cochrane.

Bow Valley High School is located off River Heights Drive in the Riversong master-planned community, offering a standard high school curriculum as well as fine arts, athletics, and off-campus education programs.

Cochrane High School, also in the Tri-School Site, offers the usual high school curriculum as well as French Immersion and programs like R.O.A.M.S., a one-semester outdoor academy for students in 10th grade.

Both Bow Valley and Cochrane High Schools offer an Off-Campus Education Program that allows students in grades 10–12 to gain work experience while in high school. The programming is offered through concurrent registration at the RVS Community Learning Centres.

Cochrane Schools in the Calgary Catholic Schools District

• Holy Spirit Catholic School (K–6 Catholic)
• St. Timothy High School (7–12 Catholic)

Holy Spirit Catholic School is located in the Fireside neighbourhood.

St. Timothy Junior/Senior High School is a Catholic school in the Sunset Ridge neighbourhood and is easy to access via the Calgary Transit system. St. Timothy offers a faith-based education that features core curriculum programming mandated by Alberta Education.

Cochrane Schools in the Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud

École Notre-Dame des Vallees (K–12 Catholic) is a Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud (CSF) Francophone school located in Cochrane. They offer both a francization program intended for primary-English speakers learning French and an English Second Language program intended for primary-French speakers learning English.

Cochrane Charter Schools

There are many charter schools located less than an hour away from Cochrane in the city of Calgary:

Westmount Charter School is for gifted students and has two campuses which include Parkdale Elementary School (grades K through 4) and Sir William Van Horne Mid-High Campus (grades 5 through 12).

Almadina Language Charter Academy offers education to students in grades K through 9 and features two campuses, which include Mountain View Elementary (grades K through 4) and Ogden Middle School (grades 4 through 9).

Calgary Arts Academy allows students to learn the Alberta curriculum through art immersion. The academy has two locations: Glenmeadows Elementary School (grades K through 4) and Knob Hill Middle School (grades 5 through 9).

Calgary Classical Academy serves students in grades K through 12 where they will acquire a rigorous and traditional liberal arts education.

Calgary Girls’ School is an all-girls middle school for grades 4 through 9. The school focuses on helping students develop a strong sense of self while learning and understanding both historical and contemporary gender issues.

Cochrane Private Schools

As with charter schools, most of the private schools near Cochrane are located in Calgary. Below are just a few of Calgary’s alternative education options near Cochrane:

Banbury Crossroads School is a private, self-directed school where students can learn at their own pace. The school follows all material required by the Alberta curriculum with small classes and multi-aged students using a tutorial style. This style of learning helps students develop more meaningful, individual relationships. 

Calgary Quest School is a Designated Special Education private school that offers full-day, early intervention programs for children ages 2.5 to 6 years. The school also has an elementary, junior, and high school program serving students from 6 years to 20 years old. Teachers, therapists, and instructional assistants work with parents to develop individualized programs and plans for each child that help them learn based on their abilities.

Webber Academy is a private school on the west side of Calgary. This large private school was founded in 1996 and has over 1,000 students enrolled in classes for grades K through 12.

Colleges & Universities Near Cochrane

Once high school students graduate, they may attend one of several colleges and universities near Cochrane.

St. Mary’s University in South Calgary is a private university and one of the top colleges in the country. This designated learning institute has around 860 students, with about 600 of them studying full-time courses. The university was once a Catholic private university but today it’s known for having some of the best nationally leading programs in business and chemistry.

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, or SAIT, is a polytechnic institute in Northwest Calgary offering a wide range of programs. The School of Business is ranked as one of the best business schools in the world by CEOWORLD Magazine. SAIT has over 300 courses in development for both new and existing programs designed to fill skill gaps and help meet industry needs.

Ambrose University in West Calgary is a private Christian liberal arts college offering arts and sciences, education, business, and seminary programs. The school features a liberal arts setting designed to help students thrive in the workforce with a dedicated staff who instruct and mentor students as they pursue their personal and professional goals. 

The University of Calgary northwest of downtown is one of Canada’s top research colleges. The school offers international students a wide range of high-quality programs and paid work experiences through co-op and internship programs. The school’s undergraduate PURE award program helps students reach a wide variety of research goals and also has a virtual learning program called UCalgary.

Ready to Enroll in a Cochrane School?

A world of educational opportunities awaits you in Cochrane. As the town continues to grow and its communities evolve, these schools will continue to be the bedrock of growth and prosperity. So, whether you're a current resident or considering Cochrane as your new home, rest assured that your student’s education is in good hands.