This guide is for international families considering Edmonton Public Schools (加拿大埃德蒙顿公立中学), the public school district of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, Canada. Everything below comes from the district’s official website (epsb.ca and its International Student Program site), accessed on August 4, 2026. Fees and figures are the official ones published for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years; the district updates these pages per school year, so treat the official site as the final word.
About Edmonton Public Schools
Edmonton Public Schools is the second-largest public school district in Alberta. Its official facts and stats page reports 214 schools in the 2025-26 school year — including 125 elementary schools, 26 junior high schools and 16 senior high schools — with 122,014 students enrolled as of September 30, 2025 and 10,873 full-time-equivalent staff, on a 2025-26 operating budget of $1.42 billion. As a public system, it is governed by an elected Board of Trustees, and all programming follows the curriculum set by Alberta Education.
The district covers the full kindergarten-to-grade-12 range: elementary school (kindergarten to Grade 6), junior high (Grades 7-9) and senior high (Grades 10-12). International students enter through the district’s International Student Program (ISP), a long-established program in which international students are fully integrated into regular classrooms with Canadian peers rather than taught in separate international streams.
Programs and Curriculum
All Edmonton Public Schools programming is based on the Alberta provincial curriculum. To graduate with an Alberta High School Diploma, a student must earn at least 100 credits; a minimum mark of 50% is required in a course to receive its credits, and an Alberta diploma typically takes about three years. Core subjects include English, mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), social studies, physical education and Career and Life Management, alongside complementary courses such as fine arts, languages (French, Japanese, Spanish), and career and technology studies.
At district level, schools run regular, alternative or specialized programming, with dedicated arts, athletics, faith-based, First Nations-Métis-Inuit, and language streams — including bilingual or immersion options in French, Mandarin, German, Spanish and others. For students still learning English, the district’s English as an Additional Language (EAL) programming has more than 50 years of history: there is no minimum English requirement for admission, students are assessed on arrival and placed into age-appropriate classes at their language level, and they move into mainstream classrooms gradually as their English improves.
Entry Requirements for International Students
The Edmonton Public Schools FAQ page sets the basic eligibility: applicants must be under the age of 20 as of September 1 of the entry year, and students who have already graduated from high school in their home country should check with the ISP office before applying. There is no fixed application deadline — applications stay open until spaces are filled — but the district advises applying by April 30 for a September start and by November 30 for a February start. Admission is not first-come-first-served: it is based on a criteria review that includes the district’s diversity statement, and priority is given to senior high (Grades 10-12) applicants. Specific school placements are not guaranteed; final placement decisions rest with the district based on school capacity.
Applications are submitted through the True North online portal. Required documents include: a valid student passport covering the study period; transcripts from the past two school years, translated with an official school stamp (a minimum of 65% in core courses is required for acceptance); a letter of recommendation from a current teacher or principal, translated into English with an official stamp (certificates of enrolment are not accepted in its place); immunization records if available; a notarized custodianship declaration for students under 18 living in a private arrangement; the signed applicant/parent commitment and consent forms; and proof of a confirmed Edmonton address if staying in private accommodation. The non-refundable application fee of 250 CAD must be paid at submission or the application is automatically rejected. Parents should note that if they apply for a work or study permit during the application process, they must inform the ISP staff first, or the application will not be processed.
Costs and Fees
Edmonton Public Schools publishes its international fee schedule openly. For both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years: international student tuition is 13,500 CAD per school year, or 6,750 CAD per semester (5 months); the health care insurance fee is 550 CAD for September-to-June or February-to-January coverage (up to 13 months) or 300 CAD for a 6-month term; and the one-time application fee is 250 CAD. Additional, chargeable-when-applicable items include 50 CAD per exam for 30-level diploma examinations, roughly 73 CAD per month for a bus pass (2023/24 rate), 200 CAD for report card legalization and 150 CAD for an accreditation letter; validating report cards from Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Mexico and Spain costs 300 CAD. The district notes that international tuition cannot exceed the cost of programming as defined by the Alberta School Act.
Payment must be made in Canadian funds through the Flywire platform after an invoice is issued, within 30 days of the invoice date — otherwise the application may be cancelled. The district does not allow partial payments: fees must be paid in full, and the Letter of Acceptance is issued only once all fees are paid. Refunds are available if admission is denied, if the study permit is refused (an IRCC rejection letter must be submitted), or in certain status-change cases before September 30; once classes begin, no refunds are issued.
Homestay, Health Insurance and Custodianship
Homestay for Edmonton Public Schools international students is arranged exclusively through the Canada Homestay Network (CHN). Published homestay fees for 2026-27 are 16,290 CAD for 10 months (August 27, 2026 to June 30, 2027) and 9,265 CAD for 5 months (August 27, 2026 to January 31, 2027, or January 27 to June 30, 2027); the same rates apply for 2027-28. The fee covers registration, orientation, host family allowance, custodianship, student monitoring, 24/7 emergency support, airport pickup and return, and a 500 CAD refundable security deposit; extra nights are 50 CAD each.
Alberta’s age of majority is 18. For students under 18 in homestay, CHN provides custodianship; privately arranged custodianship is not available within the homestay program. Students in private accommodation under 18 must arrange their own custodianship and file the notarized declaration. Health insurance is mandatory for all international students, administered by StudyInsured with Berkley Canada as carrier, covering unexpected illness and accidents, prescription medication, emergency transport and field trips; a personalized wallet card arrives with the Letter of Acceptance. A study permit is required for programs longer than six months and is always recommended, since students may decide to add a semester. Parents track attendance, grades and school news through the SchoolZone portal, and the school day generally runs from about 8:00-8:30 a.m. to 3:00-3:30 p.m.
Application Timeline and Next Steps
A typical application path runs: prepare documents (passport, transcripts, recommendation letter) → submit the online application and pay the application fee → receive an invoice once the application is approved → pay tuition and insurance in full → receive the Letter of Acceptance → apply for the study permit → arrange homestay and travel. The district recommends arriving about a week before classes start; homestay students may move in at the earliest one week ahead of the first day of classes. Note that no school transfers are permitted once the program has begun, and international students use Edmonton Transit (ETS) rather than school buses.
Whether the public-district route suits your child depends on age, language level, budget and supervision arrangements. Edmonton Public Schools publishes clear numbers and a straightforward process, but the fit is personal — talk through your child’s specific situation with our consultants so the program choice, costs, homestay and visa timeline can be planned together before you commit to an application.