The other two districts based in the city, both Francophone, are a fraction of the size of the CBE with only a handful of schools each.

The public (CBE) and Catholic (CCSD) systems operate independently of each other, and are both under the direct authority of the provincial government of Alberta.

[7] Long-serving Trustee and Chair of the Board, Pat Cochrane declined to run in the 2013 municipal elections.

[8] For several election cycles, among the many candidates running on a platform of strengthening the CBE, there have also been candidates running on a platform of taking down the CBE and weakening the public education system to increase government funding for private options (which include private schools and charter schools).

The CBE operates an adult and continuing education program through Chinook Learning Services.

It offers High School Upgrading, Continuing Education and adult English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.

The CBE's Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program assists qualified students with more advanced instruction.

[11] In 2003, the CBE opened the board's only all-female school, Alice Jamieson Girls' Academy.

Both schools teach grades 4-9, and are founded on the premise that girls learn differently from boys, and will under-perform for social reasons when in the presence of male peers.

In 2011, the CBE opened the board's first all-male alternative program, based in the Sir James Lougheed School.

The program teaches grades K-5, and similar to the all-girls schools - the program is founded on the premise that boys learn differently from girls, and they may behave differently in order to meet "macho" expectations, and that they require a more active, hands-on teaching style.

They meet regularly with the CBE's Chief Superintendent, Christopher Usih, to discuss issues in the system and propose solutions.