Foothills Academy is a Designated Special Education Private School accredited through Alberta Education. We serve approximately 285 students diagnosed with Learning Disabilities in grades 3 – 12 in our full-time program. We believe that all students with Learning Disabilities have exceptional potential, and that with the right supports and guidance, they can achieve great success in school, post-secondary, and the workplace. Our philosophical approach is to Find Understanding, Build Confidence and Maximize Potential. Our graduation is consistently close to 100% and our students successfully pursue post-secondary education and work. The school draws upon evidence-based educational practices for students with Learning Disabilities to help students reach their true potential. Small class sizes (staff to student ratio is typically around 1:6 with a teacher and a part time assistant) allow the experienced staff to create a positive learning environment that builds on the strengths and unique learning styles of each student while supporting their social and emotional needs. We focus on a wide range of strategies to help students find success, which ensures that students have the opportunity to reach their full potential. We work closely with parents because we recognize that close communication and collaboration between school and home is an important contributor to student success. We use assistive technology widely throughout all grades and tailor its use to the specific needs of the student. A wide variety of extracurricular activities, sports and clubs are offered. Our Community Services area provides support to the school program in areas such as counselling and teacher education. Community Services also supplements school programming with optional programs that include summer camp and year-round recreation, social skills programs, intensive one-to-one remedial tutoring, parent workshops, educator workshops, research and more. Students are bussed to school from Calgary and surrounding areas. We strive to offer our programs without turning anyone away due to their financial situation, by virtue of our bursary program. As a charitable society, the school parents and staff are all very involved in fundraising efforts throughout the year to achieve this goal.