Construction of the first of the new schools approved for Rocky View Schools (RVS) is expected to begin this spring, adding valuable student spaces in Airdrie’s southwest.

Following years of strong advocacy for space for students, RVS received government approval for this much-needed school in Budget 2024. It currently takes about three years to build a new school after a division receives construction funding approval.

The design of the new Kindergarten – Grade 9 school is complete, and the construction contract has been awarded to EllisDon. It is being built as a P3 project, a collaboration between the public and private sector. The school will have capacity for 905 students when it opens, which is expected to be in the fall of 2027.

Airdrie has grown significantly in the last 10 years, with the population increasing by 55 per cent from 2014 to 2024. As a result, RVS’ enrolment growth in Airdrie has climbed, as many new families chose to call the city home. Approximately 350–500 new students enter an RVS school in Airdrie every year. This first of three new schools to be built in the city over the next several years will help to alleviate some of the pressures being felt by our students and staff in our existing Airdrie schools. Currently, 12 of the 17 schools in Airdrie are full. These new schools will help bring our utilizations back to reasonable levels after years of increasing enrolment with no funding to build schools.

“Breaking ground on this project has been a long time coming and we are counting down the days until we can open all seven new, urgently needed schools,” said Board Chair, Fiona Gilbert. “It is critical for RVS that the government expedite construction and build these schools as quickly as possible, to provide modular classrooms while we wait for construction to complete, and to ensure a steady stream of additional school approvals in the upcoming years to keep pace with our growth.”

Modular classrooms could help with overcrowding in the short term until these new schools can be built and opened for learning. RVS recently received approval for five new modular classrooms and approval to relocate one washroom unit.

Similar architectural designs will be used when appropriate to help expedite the construction of new schools. The new school in South Windsong is the first of these that will use this design. The school was designed with efficiency in mind to maximize student learning spaces and provide the best possible options for student success within Alberta Education’s programming guidelines. 

The new South Windsong school site is located on the southwest edge of Airdrie, west of the Windsong community and north of Hillcrest Avenue.

Determining which students will attend the new school when it opens will involve a public consultation process. Likely to be held in 2026/27, the engagement will be an opportunity for families, staff and the wider community to provide their feedback on potential options which will help inform the Board’s decision. A separate public consultation will also be held to collect possible names for the new school, following the naming requirements laid out in Administrative Procedure 5402. This process is also likely to take place in 2026/27, and community members will be encouraged to apply to be on the ad hoc committee that will make the final recommendation to the Board.

More information about the new schools being built in RVS and updates regarding the South Windsong school are available on RVS’ website.

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South Windsong School Construction