St. Albert Schools Are Growing

St. Albert Public Schools is experiencing a significant and persistent increase in its student population, growing at an annual rate of 3%, which is faster than the city's overall growth. The division has seen a 41% enrollment increase since 2012 and now serves over 9,800 students. 

Key highlights of the population increase:

• Rapid recent growth: As of April 2025, the division was on track to surpass 10,000 students in the 2025–2026 school year. In 2023, the board surpassed 9,000 students for the first time.

• Record kindergarten enrollment: The school year starting in the fall of 2024 marked the fourth consecutive year that kindergarten enrollment was over 600 students.

• Enrollment surpassing city growth: In 2024, the school division reported a 3% growth rate, while the city's average annual growth was 1.51%, indicating that the student population is growing at a much faster pace than the general population.

• Growth challenges: The continuous increase means the public board needs to construct a new school approximately every three years to keep up with demand. 

Consequences of population increase

The steady rise in student numbers has led to several challenges and strategic responses from the school division:

• Facility capacity issues: The district has been over 89% utilization, with three schools over 100% capacity. In the 2024–2025 school year, over 2,700 students were housed in 112 portable or modular classrooms to address the space shortage.

• Need for new high schools: The most urgent priority is addressing high school capacity, with plans including:

  • A new high school with a capacity for 1,650 students in the Erin Ridge North area.

  • An expansion and modernization of

    Bellerose Composite High School

    , expected to be complete by fall 2026.

  • A replacement for

    Paul Kane High School

    to add 250 student spaces.

• New school construction:

  • Chérot K–9 school: A new 900-student K–9 school has been fully funded by the province's Accelerator Program.

  • Need for serviced sites: The division is actively working with the provincial government and city council to expedite the approval and servicing of new school sites to keep pace with the growth.

• Funding issues: Despite provincial growth funding, the school division faces financial challenges because the funding formula does not fully support its rate of student growth. The district argues that this creates inequities for students in rapidly expanding areas.