Education Services Agreements

Pembina Hills School Division (PHSD) will enter into Education Services Agreement (ESA) with other Alberta school jurisdictions, Alberta Accredited International Schools (AAIS), Private/Charter, Francophone or out-of-province schools. Through an ESA, schools can register their students in Vista Virtual School (VVS) courses.

REGISTRATION

The SuperUser must follow these instructions to register a Grade 1-9 student: Registration Process 2025-2026

The SuperUser must follow these instructions to register a Grade 10-12 student: Registration Process 2025-2026

NEW IN 2025/2026: ESA Grade 10-12 courses will now be semester-based. 

GRADE 1-9
2025/26
SEMESTER 1
2025/2026
SEMESTER 2
2025/26
Runs from: August 27, 2025 to June 18, 2026 August 27, 2025 to January 27, 2026 January 28, 2026 to June 24, 2026
Registration opens: March 3, 2025 June 26, 2025 November 18, 2025
Registration closes: December 1, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. MST October 6, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. MDT March 5, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. MST *Registrations submitted after January 9 are considered late
Deadline to request a course add/switch: December 1, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. MST October 6, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. MDT March 5, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. MST
Deadline to request a course withdrawal with tuition refund: March 31, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. MST November 14, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. MDT March 31, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. MST

Important note! Each student type at our school has unique deadlines and important dates. Students should always review their specific course timelines and consult their teacher if they have any concerns. All important dates can also be found on the Calendar Page of our website.

*An active Education Services Agreement (ESA) is required for partner schools to be able to enroll ESA students with VVS. 

COURSE INFORMATION

Our Course Catalogue provides a full list of available courses, which are divided by grade level. Please note the delivery method for the various grade levels:

  • Grade 1-3 courses are print-based
  • Grade 4-6 courses are mostly online, with a few print-based courses
  • Grade 7-12 courses are available online only

Like any other school in Alberta, we report results to parents/guardians and Alberta Education. Please review our Senior High Mark Reporting Policy and Course Withdrawal Policy for more information.

Need assistance placing a student in the appropriate grade level or course? Give us a call at 1-855-974-5333 x5317 or email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca.

EXAM SUPERVISORS

Partner schools are required to provide contact information for an Exam Supervisor who will be responsible for administering course exams and overseeing the Alberta Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) and Diploma Exams. They must prepare in advance for exams, know and communicate exam schedules to students, and keeps exams secure before and after writing.

COURSE FEES & REFUNDS

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL CHARGES INCURRED IN A GIVEN MONTH WILL APPEAR ON THE INVOICE ISSUES IN THE FIRST WEEK OF THE NEXT MONTH

Please be advised that any applicable fees are the responsibility of the partner school and not the student or parent/guardian.

FEE COST
Course & Material Fees
Grade 1-9 Tuition Fees $750 per course
Grade 10-12 Tuition Fees $155 per credit
– Tuition for a 5-credit course $775
– Tuition for a 3-credit course $465
– Tuition for a 1-credit course $155
AAIS Grade 1-9 Tuition Fees $1050 per credit
AAIS Grade 10-12 Tuition Fees $210 per credit
Textbook & Material Fees Varies – Pricing can be found in our Course Catalogue
Materials are fully refundable if returned within 30 days of the semester end date in reusable condition.
Shipping Options
Ship Materials to Alberta Address $25 per student order
On October 8, shipping fees increased from $20 due to the Canada Post strike and having to use an alternate courier.
Ship Materials to an Address Outside of Alberta $25 minimum or full cost of shipping fees per student order
Pickup Materials from Calgary Campus No cost
Additional Fees
Course Switch Fee
Applies to each course switch (add and withdraw) made after enrollment
$25 per course switch request
Re-registration Fee
For students who wish to re-register for a Semester 1 course in Semester 2
$250 per course
Withdrawal Processing Fee
A withdrawal processing fee is deducted from the tuition refund if a request is made before the withdrawal deadline. Unfortunately, course withdrawals requested after the deadline are not eligible for any tuition refund.
$150 per course
French Placement Exam Fee
Available for students with prior experience in French who may need help deciding which French course to start with. Email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca for details.
$25

Please review our Policies for more details.

CONTACT US

Give us a call at 1-855-974-5333 x5317 or email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca.

2025-2026 IMPORTANT DATES CALENDAR
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Click here to view a summary of the Roles and Responsibilities of Affiliation Schools and VVS.

RE-REGISTRATION POLICY

If your student is in semester one and needs extra time to complete, you can re-register for the same course in the next semester for a $250 fee. This option is not available to semester two or summer courses.

To re-register for a semester one course in semester two, the SuperUser will log in to SchoolEngage account and complete the semester two form.

Note: This is a re-registration fee, not an extension fee. Grades will carry over, but tjhe student will lose access to completed assignments and feedback. Be sure to save all work externally to refer to when preparing for the final exam.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Vista Virtual School is pleased to be working with so many school partners in an Education Services Agreement. Recently, we have received several questions and requests that we hope the following Q&A will help with.

Please read carefully as many of the answers you seek will be here.

Why do we require a school enrollment in PASI for our school if we are enrolling through an ESA?

Without the appropriate primary school enrollment, Vista Virtual School would end up as the Responsible School in PASI by default. The ESA school (partner school) should be the Responsible School in PASI to ensure appropriate funding is received by them.

Provincial Approach to Student Information (PASI) system  (Alberta Education)

We had a school enrollment last year for the student and it didn’t rollover, any suggestions?

Primary school enrollments need to be entered by the primary school. VVS can only enter enrollments into PASI for the courses that your school registers with us at the beginning of each year. 

Please contact Alberta Education Student Enrollments and Marks at Studentrecords@gov.ab.ca or (780) 422-9337 with questions regarding your school enrollments.

How do we enter our own school enrolment in PASI?

PASI has instructions here

You may also contact Alberta Education Student Enrollments and Marks at Studentrecords@gov.ab.ca or (780) 422-9337.

Why are our school enrollments in their system not flowing to PASI?

PASI is an Alberta Education managed student information system, and questions about this system are best asked of their Student Enrollments and Marks support team at Studentrecords@gov.ab.ca or (780) 422-9337.

Why do we need to sign a prerequisite waiver form when the student already completed the course with our school and the final grade appears in our system?

Alberta Education’s PASI tracks prerequisites required for courses, and will not permit course finalizations without a prerequisite course or a waiver completion. Alberta Education’s preferred process for the waiver is that the principals declare the student has met prerequisite requirements, and the registering schools can do so by completing the waiver form as VVS has no first hand knowledge of this. Once we receive the form, we can submit this in PASI.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION