A total of 42 elementary schools in Alberta showed significant improvement in their academic performance.

On Sunday, the Fraser Institute released its annual report card on schools.

It rates 659 public, private, separate, charter, and francophone elementary schools based on nine academic indicators using data from the annual Provincial Achievement Tests administered by Alberta Education.

Calgary’s Webber Academy ranked first in overall performance, while Edmonton’s Bannerman and Pollard Meadows schools are considered the fastest improving schools in the province.

"Our report shows that all schools are capable of improvement, regardless of the personal or family challenges their students might face. If educators want to help students learn and improve, they should be talking to these schools," said Peter Cowley, Fraser Institute director of school performance studies.

Some parents like Traci Berkhold, whose son is in grade three, pay attention to the rankings.

“I think it is one source of information to think about when you're looking at schools…so I think as parents we need to think more broadly and think about our own child and what type of learner they are and what school might work best for them,” Berkhold says.

The report card also includes important information about each school's make-up, including parents' average income, the percentage of ESL students, and the percentage of special needs students.