News Centre

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On June 10, 2025 the CBE’s Three-Year System Student Accommodation Plan was presented to the Board of Trustees. This annual plan identifies potential student accommodation adjustments needed to balance enrolment based on the current and projected number of students. Schools are included on the SSAP when they face high or low enrolment challenges within the next three years.

Potential actions that could be taken to balance enrolment in schools may include: 

• ​A change to the school’s attendance area.
• Re-designation of a community that is being bused to the school.
• Identifying an overflow school for students who cannot be accommodated at the school.
• A grade configuration change. 
  

“This annual plan proactively identifies trends and areas across the city where additional space in schools will be required in the short and the long term,” said Patricia Bolger, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “At its core, the SSAP underscores the pressing need for more student spaces to keep up with Calgary’s growing population. Through this plan, the CBE addresses immediate needs and identifies longer-term trends to effectively use resources and ensure the timely flow of information to families.”

2025-2028 System Student Accommodation Plan​​

Highlights from the 2025-2028 SSAP

• In 2025, 17 new school projects were added to the SSAP, compared to 61 new projects in 2024. System utilization rates across CBE’s 251 schools rose from 92% in 2024 to 94.8% in 2025, marking steady year-over-year increases since 2021.
• High enrolment growth within the CBE, driven by substantial migration to Calgary, continues to strain schools, with more than 30 schools in overflow and 45 schools receiving overflow students during the 2024–25 school year.
• A rising student population and limited learning spaces have intensified system-wide capacity challenges, prompting more complex planning across a growing number of schools. As a result, the number of schools classified as ‘Over Capacity and/or Nearing Capacity’ has become a major challenge across the system. There are more ongoing projects (increase from 63 to 84) given these challenges.
• Planning will continue to become more complex and affect more schools until significant space is gained through new school openings, modular classroom approvals and other space creation projects.