A new high school for Chestermere is one step closer to reality after the Government of Alberta announced design funding on July 9, 2026. The school, planned for the Chelsea neighbourhood, will add 950 spaces for students in Grades 10 through 12, helping ease the pressure on packed classrooms in one of the province’s fastest-growing communities.
Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides made the announcement as part of 41 school projects being sped up under the Schools Now program, an $8.6 billion provincial investment. The program aims to create about 200,000 new and upgraded student spaces across Alberta by 2031-32, with this round delivering more than 39,000 spaces provincewide.
Rocky View Schools (RVS) first received planning funding for the Chestermere project in 2025 through the School Construction Accelerator Program, also called Schools Now. With the move to design funding, the project advances to detailed architectural and engineering work before construction can begin. A new Kindergarten to Grade 8 school in Airdrie’s Lanark community was also included in the announcement, adding another 950 student spaces.
The need for more school space in Chestermere is clear. RVS has grown by 750 to 1,000 students each year, with Chestermere driving much of that growth. The city’s population hit 28,129 in 2024, a 34 percent jump since 2021. During the 2023/24 school year, Chestermere schools were operating at 98 percent capacity, with most schools beyond their limits.
Board Chair Fiona Gilbert said strong advocacy from the board and school communities has led to eight priority school projects being approved over the last three provincial budgets. The new high school is seen as a key piece of the plan to keep up with demand and give local teenagers a school closer to home as the community continues to expand.
