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Overview
The education funding model is designed as an allocation framework to distribute funding to school authorities, considering enrolment alongside social and demographic factors.
Enrolment is a primary factor in our funding formula. All school authorities, whether they are growing, shrinking or remaining the same size, benefit from the predictability and sustainability of the funding model.
The K to 12 education funding model:
- gives flexibility to school authorities to determine how best to invest taxpayer dollars
- protects our most vulnerable students by providing funding to support specialized learning needs or groups of students who may require additional supports from school authorities
- uses an average enrolment methodology, rather than a 1-year enrolment count after the school year has started, to provide more predictability in funding and to shield school authorities with declining enrolment
- minimizes red tape
- ensures accountability through a combination of funding policies, processes, actions and evidence
How we got here
In September 2020, the funding model was updated for the first time in 15 years. We met with each public, separate, charter and francophone school jurisdiction, along with other education partners, in the fall of 2019 to discuss ways to improve the school funding process.
School jurisdictions identified 3 main areas where funding processes could improve:
- provide more predictable funding, so they can better plan for each school year
- allow more flexibility in how they spend provincial dollars, based on their school and community needs
- reduce red tape
In March 2025, with student enrolment continuing to grow, we took further action to better support our school authority partners by ensuring projected student enrolments account for a larger portion of the allocated funding.
Starting in the 2025/26 school year, the funding model will provide funding based on a 2-year adjusted enrolment instead of a 3-year one.
This is a move that many school authorities requested, as it is more responsive to growth in metro and urban jurisdictions, while still shielding those with declining enrolment.
Benefits
Money to classrooms
Alberta's K to 12 funding model ensures funds are directed to classrooms by providing a targeted grant for system administration, instead of a percentage of overall funding.
This standardizes administrative and governance spending, keeping it to a reasonable range while maximizing dollars for classrooms.
The model also simplifies grants to reduce red tape for school authorities.
Predictable funding
School authorities know how much funding is available by the end of April each year, instead of September when the school year has already started.
Using an average enrolment methodology:
- minimizes the need for mid-year adjustments to budgets and staffing
- creates better alignment between the school year and the government’s fiscal year
- gives boards more predictability in their planning and budgeting processes
Small rural schools are funded through a block-funding model to ensure long-term viability and to make sure small rural schools have the money they need to offer educational programming.
Improved accountability
Our assurance framework builds on the strengths of the Accountability Pillar.
School authorities develop education plans identifying priorities and areas for improvement. The framework includes measures to keep school boards accountable for student outcomes, community engagement and continuous improvement.
They use a core set of provincial measures to report on results, creating a clear picture of how well the education system works.
Grant funding
News
- Transforming K-12 education funding (February 18, 2020)