Rocky View Schools (RVS) continues to see steady enrolment growth, with the division’s student headcount approaching 29,600 — a rise fuelled largely by rapid population increases in Chestermere.
A report from Superintendent and CEO Ryan Reed shows the division has experienced consistent mid-year growth over the past three school years. Between September and January of the 2023–24 school year, RVS added 245 students. That figure was 238 during the same period in 2024–25. For the current 2025–26 school year, enrolment increased by 195 students from September, followed by a January jump of 119 students.
While January increases are typical, trustees were told the strongest growth continues to occur in Chestermere, where new housing development is attracting young families at one of the fastest rates in the region.
That growth is being felt inside local classrooms.
Several Chestermere schools have operated at or near capacity in recent years, including Prairie Waters Elementary School, Rainbow Creek Elementary School, and East Lake School, all of which serve rapidly expanding neighbourhoods. At the secondary level, Chestermere High School has also experienced sustained enrolment pressure, reflecting the city’s demographic shift toward more school-aged children.
To manage demand, the division has relied on measures such as attendance boundary adjustments, modular classrooms, and the use of alternative learning spaces. Long-term planning for new school construction is tied to provincial capital funding approvals, which are based on enrolment projections and growth trends.
Ward 5 Board Chair Fiona Gilbert asked how the continued influx of students is affecting transportation services, particularly whether there are enough buses and drivers to keep pace.
Reed said route planning accounts for in-year growth.
“Historically we know that we grow throughout the year, so some capacity is built into the system,” he told trustees.
As of the end of September 2025, RVS reported 29,531 students, an increase of 288 from the previous year. The province later allowed the division to resubmit its enrolment figures in November due to labour disruptions that affected the original count. By Nov. 10, the division had gained another 69 students, bringing the total to approximately 29,600.
The figures represent headcount rather than full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolment, which is lower because Kindergarten students are counted as half-time for funding purposes.
For Chestermere families, the rising numbers are visible in crowded hallways, busy school parking lots, and longer bus routes. For the school division, they underscore the need for additional classroom space, staffing, and transportation resources.
At the same time, the enrolment surge highlights the city’s continued appeal to young families and its transition from a small lakeside community into one of Alberta’s fastest-growing urban centres.
With multiple residential developments still underway and more on the horizon, RVS officials expect the upward trend to continue — making long-term planning for new schools in Chestermere a central part of the division’s future.
