Lottery Process

If we receive registrations beyond our capacity, a lottery will be held to determine which students can be admitted to the school. The lottery process provides straightforward answers for school administrators, school councils and parents/guardians about the order in which students are accepted into a school that does not have enough space for all students in the program’s designated attendance area. It also provides a consistent approach across the system, rather than having variation in the process from school to school in the process.  

The priorities for acceptance are as follows:

Priority 1

  • Students residing within the lottery zone who have a sibling that will be attending in the same program in the same school; concurrent
Priority 2
  • Students living outside the lottery zone who will have a sibling in the same program in the same school at the same time
       OR
  • Students living within the lottery zone who do not have a sibling in the school
Priority 3
  • All other students living in the program’s designated attendance area

A student who is unsuccessful in the lottery process who registered for a/an:

  • alternative program, will be informed by the alternative program school how to register in the designated regular program school or where capped (AR 6090), in the designated overflow school.
  • regular program, will be designated to the overflow school.

Visit CBE’s website for more information on the lottery process. You can see the map for your school's lottery zone on the CBE website. ​​

Registration at Riverside School

Riverside School is a Science Program. Registration for this program begins in January of each year and spots are chosen by Lottery. 

Information for January 2024

Additional Information for Families- Alternate Program Registration Information

  • Expression of Interest for Alternative Program for the 2024-25 school year opens Jan. 15, 2024. 
  • For students already with the CBE, an Expression of Interest form must be submitted through SchoolEngage, located on your myCBE account, between January 15, 2024 and noon on Feb 13, 2024.
  • For students new to the CBE, register through SchoolEngage.  Proof of residency must be included with your registration.
  • Acceptable forms of proof of residency include: ( utility bill,  bank statement  GST rebate  home or renter insurance  income tax statement  mortgage statement  property tax assessment  driver's license)
  • The Lottery is drawn February 14, 2024
  • Parents notified of acceptance by March 1, 2024 
  • Parents must accept/ decline within 10 business days of the email of acceptance.

Eligibility

  • Families must reside in the CBE catchment area for Riverside School (North of Glenmore Trail and West of Deerfoot Trail) at the time of submitting the Expression of Interest. Students in neighboring communities outside Calgary are not eligible to apply.  Use the CBE Find a School Tool to see if Riverside is your designate science program.
  • If you are not selected in the lottery, your name is put on a wait list. If a spot opens up, you will be notified in the last week of June. At times, we have students who move over the summer. This would open up a spot in the first week of school for someone on the waitlist. 
  • Waitlists range from 20-150 students depending on the grade.
  • Due to the high volume of applicants, individual in-person school tours and individual virtual appointments/meetings are not available.

Kindergarten Registration

  • The kindergarten program is a half-day program 4 days a week, with alternating Friday attendance.