The Alberta government is moving forward with 14 new school projects in the Edmonton area to address growing enrolment pressures from surging population growth.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides stood alongside local school board leaders for Wednesday’s announcement.
“Edmonton is one of the fastest growing cities and communities in all of Canada, and the need for space is urgent,” said Nicolaides.
He said there are currently 132 school-building projects underway in Alberta. Nicolaides said that time is of the essence, as “these projects were needed yesterday.”
Nicolaides added that the new schools will reduce long commutes for students and help ease overcrowding by creating smaller class sizes, allowing for more one-on-one interaction between students and teachers.
Any projects not yet under construction can advance through Alberta’s school accelerator program, allowing funding to proceed outside the regular budget cycle. The program will invest $8.6 billion to build up to 90 new schools and modernize or replace 24 existing schools across Alberta.
The province’s 2025 budget forecasted deficits for the next three years. However, K-12 education will receive a record $9.9 billion operating budget, which the province says will help address enrolment growth. The province also plans to deliver more than 100 new and modernized schools over the next seven years, creating up to 200,000 student spaces.
Some of the school funding announced by the Alberta government will include additions to existing schools for more student spaces. While Edmonton will see most of the school projects, Beaumont, St. Albert, and Morinville will also receive new schooling capacity.
The newly announced projects include K-6, K-9, and high schools. The 14 new school projects will add around 16,400 new and updated school spaces.
Alberta’s new Minister of Infrastructure, Martin Long, said three of the 36 Edmonton area school projects underway are expected to complete construction by the end of 2025. The three completed projects will provide an additional 2,640 student spaces in Edmonton and Sherwood Park. Of the 36 ongoing projects, 19 are approved for construction, seven for design, and 10 for planning.
Edmonton Public Schools board chair Julie Kusiek said her division sees an average of 5,000 additional new students annually. She anticipates welcoming 125,000 students in her division’s schools next year through the accelerator program. Public high school spaces are expected to surpass capacity by the 2026/27 school year. Similarly, the Edmonton Catholic School Division projected overcapacity by 2029.
Board chair of the Edmonton Catholic School Division, Sandra Palazzo, said that her division had seen an increase of 7,000 students over the last three years, a 15.5 per cent increase.
Even with 33 modular classrooms added this year, Palazzo said Edmonton Catholic Schools remain 1,000 spaces short.
“The way to get through the space crunch isn’t going to be through portables. It needs to be through new construction,” she said.
The province’s budget bill still needs to be tabled and passed in the legislature, which could be debated as early as next week.