Thousands of Calgary Catholic School District students head back to class
As summer winds down, tens of thousands of students in Calgary and its surrounding communities are heading back to school.
Tuesday marks the beginning of a staggered return to class for Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) students.
Glenn Johnston, principal of Holy Name School, says it’s the best day of the year.
"It's the excitement in the air. New beginnings, new grade for all the students. In some cases, a new school for them, so it's just an exciting time."
Marjorie Junio-Read’s daughter Celeste is heading to Grade 1.
"It's a big day," said Junio-Read.
"We're really excited for her to start learning again, for her to get into the routine, see all her friends and just really start to grow."
There are now roughly 60,000 students spread out across 118 CCSD schools.
With Calgary's population growing rapidly, so too is student enrolment.
The CCSD saw an increase of 2,154 in enrolment for the 2022-23 school compared to the prior school year, well above the district's prediction of 1,400 new students.
CCSD superintendent Bryan Szumlas says the Catholic school board is increasing its teaching staff to deal with the influx.
"Our pupil services team have worked really hard over the summer months to hire teachers," Szumlas said.
"We had to replace about 150 teachers that retired in the spring, and then, as we go forward here into the fall, we're looking at hiring approximately … just under 100 teachers as we go forward."
The increased enrolment brought the average school utilization rate up to 84.26 per cent, which is still just below the provincial benchmark of 85 per cent.
However, some CCSD schools were still at or above capacity.
"We know this year, we're not opening any new schools other than our storefront outreach, high school to help some of our most vulnerable youth," Szumlas said.
"Right now, we're going to make it work with the space that we have. Consequently, our classes may be a bit larger, but really, students don't come to us in nice little classrooms of 25."
Much like the Calgary Board of Education, the Catholic district will have to work on balancing out enrolment and increasing capacity in more popular communities.
Szumlas says some over-capacity CCSD schools are moving students to schools with lower enrolment.
"We do have some schools right now within Calgary Catholic, where we are controlling their enrolment and so they are redirected to other schools. And we especially see this in new booming communities. So when we look around the city of Calgary which is growing extensively, some of those new communities that are coming online, the Catholic students are bused to certain schools that do have room"
Tuesday also marks back-to-school for Rocky View Schools (RVS), which has recently seen some of the most significant jumps in student enrolment.
Heading into the previous school year, RVS saw its number of students jump to 27,772. That represented a 4.3 per cent jump, far exceeding the school board's prediction.
That board includes schools in Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere and other communities to the north, west and east of Calgary.
The latest CCSD and RVS enrolment data should be available in the coming weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp kills 45, prompts global outcry
An Israeli airstrike triggered a massive blaze killing 45 people in a tent camp in the Gaza city of Rafah, officials said on Monday, prompting an outcry from global leaders who urged the implementation of a World Court ruling to halt Israel's assault.
A cross-country look at beer and wine in convenience stores
By Labour Day weekend, Ontarians of legal drinking age could snag a six-pack at their local convenience store on the way to the cottage. But what are alcohol sales like across the country? Here's what we know.
Former 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor fatally shot in Los Angeles
Former 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor was fatally shot in downtown Los Angeles while interrupting thieves Saturday, according to his agent and CNN affiliate KABC.
Kingston, Ont. tenants fed up with lack of action from landlord over broken floor tiles
Joel Felder and Misti Pitcher have been living in their apartment in Kingston, Ont. for over two years, but the past 12 months have been miserable.
Are you a loud snorer? You could have sleep apnea
You'll have a lot more energy throughout the day if you get a good night's sleep, but not everyone does due to a medical condition.
U of T protesters don't plan to pack up, will hold rally at eviction deadline
Pro-Palestinian protesters who have been camped out at the University of Toronto for weeks say they have no plans to honour the terms of a trespass notice issued by the school and clear the demonstration site by 8 a.m. today.
She developed a passion for genealogy while finding her roots. Now she helps others find their own
Lauren Robilliard always knew she was adopted. As the B.C. native grew older, she developed a passion for genealogy, tracing her roots and paving the way for a career to help others find their own.
The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina
A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.
Papua New Guinea says landslide buried more than 2,000 people
A Papua New Guinea government official has told the United Nations more than 2,000 people were believed to have been buried alive by Friday's landslide and has formally asked for international help.