Chestermere is growing and now more space is needed for students.
That's according to a special meeting of the Board of Trustees with Rocky View Schools on Thursday; a plan was approved for Chestermere to look into space issues for schools in the city.
"The plan includes changes to the grade configuration of East Lake School as well as attendance boundary changes for several communities. The change to East Lake School’s grade structure adds a second middle school to the city, with the addition of Grades 7-9 in 2025/26," says a news release from the division.
Board Chair Fiona Gilbert says Chestermere is one of the communities that is seeing continued growth.
"Which puts pressure on our already at or over-capacity schools. This accommodation plan will support ongoing growth in Chestermere while maximizing learning spaces for our students in that community while we wait for new schools to be built.”
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The division says several new changes will start in September 2025 including:
- Expansion of East Lake School to a Kindergarten to Grade 9 school. The school is currently a Kindergarten to Grade 6 school.
- The French and Christian Immersion programs for kindergarten to Grade 6 will stay at East Lake. The programs for Grades 7 to 9 will still be offered at Chestermere Lake Middle School (CLMS).
- Chelsea, Dawson's Landing, Bridgeport commercial, Waterford, Waterford Estates, and Paradise Meadows will be redesignated from attending East Lake to Rainbow Creek Elementary School for Kindergarten to Grade 6. Students in the areas will go to CLMS for Grades 7 to 9.
- The North Acreages area will have students from East Lake go to Prairie Waters Elementary School for Kindergarten to Grade 6. Students in the areas will attend CLMS for Grades 7 to 9.
- The Clearwater Park community will go to Rainbow Creek for Kindergarten to Grade 6. Students in the communities will attend CLMS for Grades 7 to 9.
- Bridgeport North is designated to attend Prairie Waters for Kindergarten to Grade 6. Students will go to CLMS for Grades 7 to 9.
"Between 2014 – the last time a new RVS school opened in Chestermere – and 2024, the city’s population grew 55 per cent. Four of the five RVS schools in the community are currently full with an overall utilization rate of 94 per cent," added the division.
The organization gathered feedback from the public at Chestermere Lake Middle School on Oct. 22 and residents were able to fill out a survey until Nov. 26.
"Most of the feedback received from the consultation was in support of this change," says the division.
The organization says planning will soon start to implement the changes and information will be sent to families in the spring.