Calgary schools struggling with record enrolment growth

As Calgary kids return to school this September, Calgary school boards are dealing with significant enrolment growth and the operational pressures that come with it.

Tuesday marked the first day of staggered re-entry for the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), which is welcoming an additional 2,918 students this school year.

The increase translates to a 4.7 per cent enrolment growth for the 2024/25 school year, for a total of 64,514 students.

This follows consistent growth over the past several years with a 4.6 per cent enrolment increase in 2023 of 2,715 students, for a total of 61,596 students.

There were 58,881 students enrolled in Catholic schools in Calgary in 2022.

Calgary public schools are also dealing with record enrolment with an additional 8,000 students expected this year for a total of 146,000 students.

Over the last two years, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) said it has welcomed more than 13,000 new students, which is enough to fill about 22 elementary schools.

In response to the significant enrolment growth, the Ministry of Education announced $125 million in additional funding over the summer for Alberta school authorities for this school year, and the purchase of 100 new modular classrooms that have begun to be delivered to schools across the province.

“Coming out of COVID, we saw a stagnation and no growth to now historic levels. So, there’s quite a bit of work that still needs to be done but of course we want to look at short, medium, long-term solutions to help to address these space pressures,” said Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.

“That doesn’t address the entirety of the problem but it’s a short-term solution and we want to act where we can. So, we want to take advantage of those. These modular can be produced quite quickly and dispatched to schools quite quickly.”

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) says “chronic underfunding” has created a crisis in the province’s public education system, leaving schools and students in need.

“Albertans understand the value of public education, so it should be a concern that while the province touts a surplus, students are not seeing any of the benefits. Their quality of education is suffering,” ATA president Jason Schilling said in a news release.

“Teachers are facing conditions that are not fair or sustainable. We cannot expect them to do more with less again and again. Public education is in crisis. This chronic underfunding of public education will be the legacy of this premier and government.”

The CBE said it expects to add 47 new modular classroom this year which will accommodate 1,200 of its 8,000 new students.

It also hired an additional 329 teachers, 273 school staff and 52 non-school staff for this school year.

The CCSD hired 50 contingency teachers, added 2,000 additional education assistant hours, 12 diverse learning teachers and additional supports like occupational and physical therapists.

However, the board is still dealing with a $10.9-million deficit even after the provincial funding and said long-term solutions are needed to address the enrolment growth.

"We appreciate the support from the Government of Alberta, but it is essential to recognize that more sustainable funding is needed to fully address our financial challenges and ensure the long-term success and well-being of our students," said Shannon Cook, CCSD board chair.

The Ministry of Education said that the province is making record investments in education to accommodate growth including $1.2 billion over the next three years.

“I’m confident that every student will continue to receive a high level of education which is directly attributed to our staff, our teachers and their professionalism,” said Nicolaides.

In an additional statement, Nicolaides said the Ministry of Education plans to build 90 schools, adding more than 65,000 new and modernized student spaces when complete.

“In addition to the school projects, we are investing in the relocation of 31 modular classrooms and 180 new ones across the province this upcoming school year to create more than 5,200 student spaces in high-growth communities,” Nicolaides said.