Calgary School Boards Scramble as Enrolment Surge Overwhelms Capacity
Hundreds of portable classrooms deployed as population growth creates an urgent need for new schools.
Calgary’s two major school boards have deployed a combined 340 portable classrooms for the current school year, the highest number ever, as rapid population growth overwhelms existing school infrastructure.
The Numbers
The Calgary Board of Education is operating 230 portables across 85 schools, while the Calgary Catholic School District has 110 portables at 42 locations. Both boards say the situation is unsustainable.
“Portables are a temporary solution being used as a permanent one,” said CBE board chair Laura Hack. “Our students deserve purpose-built learning spaces, not trailers in parking lots.”
New Schools Needed
Both boards have submitted urgent capital funding requests to the provincial government for a combined 22 new schools, primarily in the rapidly growing communities of Seton, Cornerstone, Livingston, and Glacier Ridge. The province has approved funding for three new schools in the current budget cycle — far short of the need.
Impact on Learning
Teachers and parents report that overcrowded schools and portable classrooms create challenges for learning. Shared gymnasium and library time has been cut, specialist programming has been reduced, and some students travel between buildings multiple times per day.
“My daughter’s science class is in a portable with no running water,” said Seton parent Ryan Firth. “How is that acceptable in 2024?”
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the province is committed to building schools where they are needed but cautioned that construction timelines require long-term planning. The next round of school capital announcements is expected in the spring budget.
