Calgary students are returning to class as the city’s two largest school districts begin the 2026-27 academic year. Monday is the official first day for the Calgary Board of Education, while the Calgary Catholic School District is using staggered entry on Monday and Tuesday. Individual Catholic schools have provided their own schedules to families. The return coincides with the opening of Evanston Heights School, a new CBE middle school in northwest Calgary. The school will initially serve students in Grades 4 through 8, with Grade 9 being added next year. It has capacity for 925 students and brings together children who previously attended four different schools. Despite just opening, the CBE says Evanston Heights is already expected to be at capacity and will only accommodate students living within the community. Growing enrolment The CBE is projecting enrolment of 143,475 students this year, an increase of 1,072 students, or 0.8 per cent. Calgary Catholic expects approximately 64,876 students, an increase of 681 students, or roughly 1.1 per cent. Both divisions spent the summer doing a hiring push in anticipation. “For the 2026-2027 school year, we are anticipating continued growth, and with that brings the need and desire for excellent teachers for Catholic education,” said Jessica Thomas, chief superintendent of the Calgary Catholic School District. “We have worked extensively with our services department to hire and onboard over 300 teachers this year.” Thomas said the additional staffing is expected to help address class sizes across the district. New teachers and classroom supports The Alberta government has allocated $355 million to address class sizes and increasingly complex student needs during the 2026-27 school year. The funding includes $200 million through the new Class Size Reduction Grant, intended to hire more than 1,400 teachers for kindergarten through Grade 9. The CBE received $48.9 million through that grant to hire approximately 362 teachers. Calgary Catholic received $24.4 million to hire 181. Another $100 million is being directed toward classroom complexity. Of that, $75 million will fund 223 new complexity teams, while $25 million will support staff training and access to specialized services. The remaining $55 million will continue the province’s existing Classroom Complexity Grant. Even with the new staff in place, space is still a concern. The CBE says its schools are operating at 95 per cent capacity system-wide, while high school utilization is well above 100 per cent. The board expects 67 modular classrooms to be installed across 14 schools by next spring will help provide some relief.
