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EXPLORE AURORA
“Aurora” is a Latin word meaning “the rising light of morning; dawn of day; a beginning.” This meaning exemplifies the spirit and attitude of parents who believe Aurora Academic Charter School to be a new beginning for their children.
AACS is a publicly funded charter school that reports to and is monitored by Alberta Education, with no formal ties or responsibilities to other local school boards. As with all charter schools, AACS receives from Alberta Education the same per capita grant as children in other public or separate systems. There are no tuition fees.
Aurora School’s charter was granted on May 16, 1996, and the school opened its doors on September 9, 1996, to 280 Kindergarten to Grade 8 students. In September of 1997, Grade 9 was added.
In September 2008, AACS moved to Sherbrooke School in Edmonton. The school has undergone a complete renovation, giving us the beautiful facility we have today, which now hosts students in grades kindergarten through seven.
In August 2023, Aurora Academic Charter Secondary School was opened, hosting students in grades eight through twelve.
In August 2023, following twenty-seven years of operation, in keeping with Strategic Plan Report 2018-2023 and due to high demand from families, AACS opened a secondary school. This fall, Grade 11 students will grace our halls, with plans to add Grade 12 in 2024.
Aurora Academic Charter School wishes to promote the characteristics of “effective schools,” as outlined in our philosophy. The AACS philosophy is that children, when presented with an orderly and structured environment and the presence of properly sequenced teacher-directed classroom instruction, can excel in an academically-oriented program.
Aurora Academic Charter School, as a publicly funded institution, must adhere to Alberta Education’s Program of Studies. All AACS teachers are fully-certified. AACS also has an embellished curriculum in most subject areas in all grade levels. This has been achieved by acquiring texts appropriate to Aurora’s purposes and developing curricular materials suitable to meet the requirements of its charter.
Aurora Academic Charter School’s charter was granted on May 16, 1996.
In 2021, AACS was approved by the Government of Alberta for a 15-year charter extension.
Aurora Academic Charter School's Charter Document describes the vision, mission, philosophy, values, purpose, and goals of our unique program.
Charter Document 2022
Public charter schools are autonomous non-profit public schools that:
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provide basic education in a different or enhanced way
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follow Alberta's programs of study (curriculum)
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have a focus not already offered by the board of the school authority in which the public charter school is located – this could include unique:
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learning styles
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teaching styles
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approaches
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philosophies
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pedagogies
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vocation-based education
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have the potential to improve student learning outcomes
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demonstrate collaboration or engagement with a post-secondary institution or a school division
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have the potential to improve the education system as a whole and enhance education research and innovation