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EDMONTON — Alberta’s rapid population growth is prompting the province to speed up school construction, with four more projects now moving ahead under a multibillion dollar accelerator program.
The province said Wednesday it is accelerating previously announced schools in Calgary and St. Albert as part of its School Construction Accelerator Program, an $8.6 billion plan launched in 2024 to build and renovate more than 130 schools.
Officials say unprecedented growth in recent years has strained classrooms across Alberta, which is projected to surpass British Columbia in population by mid century if current trends continue.
“Fast tracking school projects cuts months off the timelines and moves them closer to opening their doors for students. Families in Calgary and St. Albert will see new classrooms sooner because we’re speeding up the work,” Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement.
In Calgary, two francophone schools in the city’s north are moving from planning to the design phase, while a public charter school in Quarry Park is advancing from design to construction. In St. Albert, a new kindergarten to Grade 9 public school in the Chérot neighbourhood has been approved to enter the design phase.
Infrastructure Minister Martin Long said accelerating projects reduces delays and delivers modern learning spaces more quickly to growing communities.
In its first year, the $8.6 billion program approved 45 new school projects and fast tracked funding for 38 others, advancing some by as much as nine and a half months. Since the program began, nine new or modernized schools have opened, adding or updating nearly 6,000 student spaces.
More than 120 school projects are underway across the province, with further investments expected in Budget 2026.
By 2031 32, the Schools Now initiative is expected to deliver about 200,000 new and renovated student spaces, including more than 100,000 new seats, thousands of modernized spaces and modular classrooms, and additional public charter school capacity.
Government officials say the pace of construction reflects both the scale of Alberta’s growth and the urgency of expanding infrastructure to keep up with rising enrolment.
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