Rocky View Schools (RVS) is moving forward with a new high school in Airdrie’s Southwinds community that will create 1,810 spaces for students in Grades 10 to 12.
Design work is almost complete for the school, which is expected to open for learning in fall 2029. RVS said in a Tuesday news release that the development permit has been submitted to the City of Airdrie, with a review expected to be completed this summer. A construction timeline will be shared as soon as it is confirmed.
Construction of the school was approved by the provincial government as part of the School Construction Accelerator Program.
“RVS’ Airdrie high schools have experienced high utilization rates for many years,” Board Chair Fiona Gilbert said in the release. “Construction of this much needed high school is long overdue and follows years of strong Board and community advocacy efforts.”
“RVS has experienced years of significant enrolment growth in Airdrie without corresponding school builds,” the release stated. “RVS appreciates the government’s approval of new schools, including this new high school in Airdrie.”
According to the release, enrolment in RVS’ high schools in Airdrie grew by more than 1,400 students — an increase of 50 per cent — from 2019 to 2024.
RVS said its newest high school in Airdrie, W.H. Croxford High School, opened in the city’s southwest in 2014. Since then, enrolment at all Airdrie high schools has continued to grow, and “administrators, teachers and staff have worked hard to maximize available space to support students and each other.”
To help ease space pressures until the new Southwinds high school can open, RVS’ high schools in Airdrie will shift to a Grade 10 to 12 configuration beginning in September 2025.
“The Board remains committed to advocating for expediated school construction and to ensure a steady stream of school project approvals to alleviate future space pressures on students,” the release stated.
“This new school will make a meaningful difference for Airdrie high school students and staff,” Gilbert said in the release. “It will ease the strain on our overcrowded high schools, create more opportunities for learning and offer supportive well-designed spaces that set students and staff up for success.”
The school in Southwinds is one of several capital projects underway across the division. RVS said it typically takes four to five years to build a high school and open it for learning once approved for construction by the provincial government.
There will be future opportunities for the community to provide input on the school’s attendance area and to suggest a name. RVS said it will continue to provide updates as this project and other new school projects progress.
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