School Construction Accelerator Program

Overview

Alberta’s population is growing rapidly as more people from across Canada and around the world choose to make the province their home. This rapid growth has put pressure on our K to 12 education system, with student numbers increasing at historic rates.

To meet this challenge, we introduced Schools Now, also known as the School Construction Accelerator Program, in fall 2024. With this program, we are making a generational investment to build more schools now for Alberta students and families.

By building and updating schools across the province, we are creating better learning opportunities and bringing school closer to home.

Program highlights

In the first year of the program, we launched 45 new school projects and fast-tracked funding approvals for more than 30 previously approved school projects, accelerating school project completion timelines by as much as 9 months to a year.

Nine school projects opened for students during the first year of the program, creating and renovating almost 6,000 student spaces. 

To meet the immediate need for more space this school year, we are also delivering 109 modular classrooms to areas of highest demand.

These modulars will add 2,725 new student spaces and relocate another 575, providing students with safe, high-quality and accessible learning environments.

With Schools Now entering its second year, the momentum continues.

Five more projects were fast-tracked in November 2025 – 4 advanced from design to construction funding and 1 from planning to design funding.

Program commitment

New and renovated schools for Alberta students.

Combined with previously approved school capital projects, Schools Now will deliver about 200,000 new and renovated student spaces by 2031-32 by:

• building up to 90 new schools
• modernizing or replacing up to 24 existing schools
• building or expanding up to 15 public charter schools
• completing over 80 school projects announced before the launch of Schools Now
• expanding the modular classroom program

Learn about planning and building schools.

Accelerated school construction

As part of the program, we have also made improvements to our funding process to speed up the construction of new school projects. Funding for projects that are ready to proceed to the next step can be approved without having to wait for the next budget cycle, saving valuable time and opening schools sooner.

This new process is paying off, and we have accelerated 34 previously announced school projects across the province, with 4 projects accelerated twice, so far:

• 5 projects were approved to move to the next stage in November 2025
• 11 projects were approved to move to the next stage in May 2025
• 11 projects were approved for full construction funding in February 2025
• 11 school projects were approved to move to the next stage in fall 2024

By eliminating the wait for the next budget cycle, every project that received accelerated funding in the first year of the Schools Now program saw its construction schedule jump ahead by at least 6 weeks, and one-third advanced  by 9.5 months.

Bishop McNally High School in Calgary was accelerated twice, moving forward by more than a year, and of the 5 projects accelerated in November 2025, 3 benefited from 2 rounds of acceleration, advancing each project’s schedule by 9 months.

In total, 25 of the 34 fast-tracked projects secured construction funding approval.

Active school projects

There are more than 120 active school projects in communities across Alberta, including 45 new projects announced in Budget 2025.

News

• Schools Now speeds up classroom projects (November 20, 2025)
• Fast-tracking more school projects (May 21, 2025)
• More schools for Edmonton and region (March 19, 2025)
• More schools for Calgary and region (March 14, 2025)
• Building schools in every corner of the province (March 7, 2025)
• School construction reaches warp speed (February 15, 2025)
• Fast-tracking new schools for Alberta students (September 18, 2024)