A new school is already open to Calgary students this year – and is reportedly already full – but the province says more work is being done to increase student spaces for all Albertans. Premier Danielle Smith and Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides will highlight provincial education investments Tuesday as the new school year begins. The announcement is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Calgary’s McDougall Centre. The chairs of the Calgary and Edmonton Catholic school boards will also attend. The event comes as Alberta school boards face capacity pressures and a heightened focus on class size and complexity. In July, the province accelerated 16 Calgary school projects through the Schools Now program. The program commits $8.6 billion to create more than 200,000 new or updated student spaces by the 2031-32 school year. So far, the province has accelerated 74 projects Alberta-wide. At the time, the Calgary Board of Education said 160 of its schools were full or overcapacity. Calgary Catholic added it expects district-wide utilization to exceed 100 per cent by 2030. Budget 2026 also provides $355 million this school year to reduce class sizes and address classroom complexity. That includes $200 million to hire more than 1,400 K-9 teachers, $100 million for additional complexity supports and $55 million to continue the Classroom Complexity Grant. The province has not said whether new funding or projects will be announced Tuesday.
