Jasper Jr/Sr High School is within the top 13th percentile of Alberta secondary schools in terms of academic performance, according to a recent report.
The Fraser Institute’s Report Card of Alberta High Schools 2025 ranked JJSHS 38th out of 293 high schools in the province. The report came out September 11.
The ranking is based on eight academic indicators generated from Grade 12 province-wide testing, grade-to-grade transition and graduation rates.
“This is a fantastic academic achievement,” an elated Mark Crozier, principal of JJSHS, said in an email to Grande Yellowhead Public School Division senior leadership earlier this week.
The report ranks 292 public, Catholic, independent and charter secondary schools across the province. Crozier noted if private, tuition-funded schools and special admission gifted schools are excluded in the rankings, JJSHS would rank even higher among public schools.
“This is a significant feat considering the above average English Language Learner population in Jasper and our French Immersion Program,” Crozier told parents in an email. “A lot of students in our school are writing these exams in their non-native language.”
Crozier said Jasper’s strong culture of learning, a dedicated staff and incorporating non-traditional educational practices have helped JJSHS students steadily improve academic results in the last five years.
“We are embracing philosophies around student engagement and cooperative learning,” Crozier said. “We’re using strategies to involve kids in learning, rather than just being passive receivers of information.”
Crozier said a student body of just 190 pupils helps Jasper Jr./Sr. High feel like a community.
“It just feels like such a community atmosphere here,” he said. “We feel like we’re bonded together. I think that’s critical.”
Initiatives such as JJSHS’s weekly after-school flex block allows students to stay at school to receive extra help, work on projects, explore interests or engage in enrichment activities instead of attending traditional, material-based classes.
And the town’s small size allows for easy commutes to school, meaning many students can bike or walk home for lunch—a small but meaningful piece that Crozier says helps break up the day and contributes to more focused learning.
“That’s something fairly unique to Jasper,” he said.
JJSHS’s overall rating in 2024 was 7.8 out of 10, up from 6.3/10 in 2023 and just 4.6/10 in 2018. The 2024 provincial average was 6/10.
JJSHS was well above the provincial average in exam marks; courses per student; diploma completion rate; and school versus mark difference—a metric showing the spread between the grade a student achieves in the classroom and what they score on provincial exams.
The Fraser Institute says its interactive document allows for easy analytics and comparison between the performance of individual schools.
“The Report Card assists parents when they choose a school for their children and encourages and assists all those seeking to improve their schools,” a media release says.
Crozier said along with the hard work of the students themselves, JJSHS’s exceptional results come down to a kind, caring school environment and a dedicated, hard-working staff.
“Teachers recognize we’re trying to get everyone moving to their optimal ability,” he said. “Everyone sees themself as a valuable member of the team and part of the solution.”
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
