Alberta government commits to fast-tracking delivery of new schools, upgrades

Brendan Coulter · CBC News

· Posted: May 21, 2025 1:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

The state has pledged backing to fast-track the transportation of 11 schoolhouse projects crossed Alberta.

Previously announced projects successful 10 communities volition determination guardant to either plan oregon construction, depending connected however acold on they are.

Two schoolhouse projects successful Calgary are receiving funding. A caller precocious schoolhouse successful westbound Calgary volition determination up to construction, portion the Bishop McNally High School modernization and summation task volition determination to the plan stage.

Funding volition besides spell to modernizing or gathering caller schools successful Coalhurst, Donnelly, Falher, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie County, Lac La Biche, Red Deer, Strathmore and Wetaskiwin, according to Wednesday's announcement.

Together, the 11 schoolhouse projects are expected to make 8,000 caller and updated pupil spaces.

Funding for the caller schools is coming done Alberta's School Construction Accelerator Program — an $8.6-billion program to adhd 200,000 pupil spaces by the autumn of 2031.

"We are gathering much schools astatine a faster complaint ne'er earlier seen successful Alberta," said Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides successful a quality release.

"Through this innovative attack to gathering much schools now, backed by our generational concern of $8.6 cardinal to physique much than 100 schools crossed the province, we volition guarantee each pupil successful Alberta has the abstraction to prosecute successful the province's world-class acquisition system."

The state besides announced connected Wednesday that it was investing $50 cardinal to supply modular classrooms to 19 schoolhouse boards.

That wealth volition spell toward gathering 50 modular classrooms and relocating 19 others to supply abstraction for 1,650 students. 

Some of those modular classrooms volition beryllium installed earlier the caller schoolhouse twelvemonth begins successful the fall. Others volition beryllium acceptable for usage by the 2025-26 schoolhouse year.

The Alberta authorities said successful March that pupil enrolment successful Alberta has grown by astir 89,000 since 2020.

Enrolment successful the Golden Hills School District, which has schools successful Drumheller, Strathmore and different communities northbound and eastbound of Calgary, grew from 8,655 during the 2020-21 schoolhouse twelvemonth to 12,455 during the 2023-24 schoolhouse year, according to its yearly acquisition results reports.

Funding for 1 schoolhouse task successful the territory was included successful Wednesday's announcement.

"Golden Hills School Division extends its appreciation to the Government of Alberta for the support of a caller schoolhouse to regenerate Westmount School successful Strathmore," said part committee seat Laurie Huntley.

"This caller schoolhouse volition further enactment our imaginativeness of creating dynamic spaces that animate curiosity, creativity and a beardown consciousness of community."

Up to 90 caller schools volition beryllium built and up to 24 volition beryllium renovated oregon replaced done the School Construction Accelerator Program.

Since the programme was announced past fall, the state has committed backing for 33 schoolhouse projects.