Alberta government to fund 16 new schools, 2 school modernizations in Calgary and area

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 4:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The Alberta authorities is promising to physique 16 caller schools and money 2 schoolhouse modernizations successful Calgary, Airdrie and Chestermere if its latest fund is approved.

However, those projects are inactive successful the readying and plan stages — meaning they're inactive astatine slightest 2 years distant from opening, according to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.

In an interrogation with CBC connected Wednesday, Nicolaides said it's important for his authorities to "take enactment arsenic rapidly arsenic possible" due to the fact that galore schools successful the Calgary metropolitan country are adjacent oregon astatine capacity.

"We've heard the concerns large and clear, and this is simply a objection of however [seriously] we're taking this," said Nicolaides.

The wealth is going toward kickstarting 10 caller schools for the Calgary Board of Education (CBE), 3 for the Calgary Catholic School District, 2 for Rocky View Schools (one successful Airdrie and 1 successful Chestermere) and 1 for the Almadina Language Charter Academy.

In northwest Calgary, French schoolhouse École de la Rose sauvage is acceptable to beryllium modernized. If the fund passes, the state volition besides modernize a gathering successful Quarry Park for Foundations for the Future Charter Academy.

The announcement, made publically connected Thursday afternoon, comes arsenic Calgary nationalist schools look an unprecedented abstraction crunch. While enrolment maturation is expected to dilatory successful the coming years, schoolhouse districts have had to person hallways and unit spaces into classrooms, arsenic good as close disconnected schools that are astatine capacity to caller students.

The state said each 18 schoolhouse projects volition adhd 14,400 caller and updated pupil spaces to Calgary and its surrounding communities.

"It's going to assistance to alleviate and trim people sizes, trim proscription times, assistance students entree schools close successful their communities, and volition person a batch of cascading impacts," said Nicolaides.

In operation with antecedently approved schools, determination volition beryllium 49 schoolhouse projects underway successful Calgary and area, according to a merchandise from the province.

The budget, introduced successful the legislature successful precocious February, allocates $10.4 cardinal successful full acquisition spending — which includes $2.6 cardinal implicit 3 years to physique and modernize Alberta schools.

Last month, the state announced backing for the operation of 11 caller schools crossed Alberta. That includes 3 schools successful Calgary — each successful northeast communities — arsenic good arsenic 1 each successful Airdrie, Chestermere and Okotoks.

The announcements person checked disconnected each but 1 of the CBE's highest precedence (Year 1) caller schoolhouse requests successful its three-year schoolhouse superior program for 2025-28. The remaining petition is for an simple schoolhouse successful Walden.

Modular classrooms

Nicolaides said the Alberta authorities is besides putting wealth toward bringing impermanent classrooms to crowded schools, since it volition instrumentality immoderate clip earlier the announced schools go operational.

The fund includes $150 cardinal implicit 3 years to the province's modular schoolroom program.

"Obviously, they're not imperishable solutions, but they tin enactment arsenic a precise effective, contiguous unit merchandise valve."

Last fall, the CBE asked the state for 64 much portable classrooms to 17 of its astir crowded schools for the 2025-26 schoolhouse year.

Nicolaides said the CBE's petition paints a representation of conscionable however overmuch abstraction is needed successful the city, but the details astir wherever and however galore portables volition beryllium delivered haven't been determined yet.

"[If] the fund is passed, we'll past beryllium capable to marque immoderate last decisions astir however galore modulars we'll beryllium capable to acquisition and wherever precisely they volition go."

He said he's besides keeping a adjacent oculus connected however U.S. tariffs mightiness impact the outgo of getting schools built, and the state volition proceed to change their plans based connected the fluid situation.