Two schools are moving forward in southwest Airdrie, one in Southwinds and the other in South Windsong. Both have received provincial approval for construction but serve different grades, have different capacities and are on separate timelines, according to two separate Rocky View Schools (RVS) news releases.
The division said in an Aug. 5 news release that design work is almost complete for a high school in Southwinds that will provide 1,810 critically-needed spaces for students in Grades 10 to 12. The development permit is now with the City of Airdrie for review, and the school is expected to open in fall 2029.
Construction was approved as part of the provincial School Construction Accelerator Program.
“RVS’ Airdrie high schools have experienced high utilization rates for many years,” Board Chair Fiona Gilbert said in the Aug. 5 release. “Construction of this much needed high school is long overdue and follows years of strong Board and community advocacy efforts.”
Enrolment in Airdrie’s RVS high schools grew by more than 1,400 students — a 50 per cent increase — between 2019 and 2024. The division’s newest high school, W.H. Croxford, opened in 2014.
To help manage crowding before the Southwinds high school opens, all RVS high schools in Airdrie will shift to a Grade 10–12 configuration in September 2025.
The Aug. 5 release said the Southwinds project is one of several capital builds underway in the division. RVS says it typically takes four to five years to build a high school after provincial approval. Future public consultations will determine the attendance area and school name.
The South Windsong school, announced in a June 3 release, will serve Kindergarten to Grade 9 students and have space for 905 learners, with an opening target of fall 2027.
RVS said the K–9 project was approved in Budget 2024 after years of advocacy for more space in the city’s southwest. The design is complete, the contract has been awarded to EllisDon, and the school will be built as a P3 partnership.
“Airdrie has grown significantly in the last 10 years, with the population increasing by 55 per cent from 2014 to 2024,” the June 3 release said. “As a result, RVS’ enrolment growth in Airdrie has climbed, as many new families chose to call the city home. Approximately 350–500 new students enter an RVS school in Airdrie every year.”
RVS said 12 of the 17 schools in Airdrie are already full.
“Breaking ground on this project has been a long time coming and we are counting down the days until we can open all seven new, urgently needed schools,” Gilbert said in the June 3 release. “It is critical for RVS that the government expedite construction and build these schools as quickly as possible, to provide modular classrooms while we wait for construction to complete, and to ensure a steady stream of additional school approvals in the upcoming years to keep pace with our growth.”
The June 3 release also said RVS has been approved for five new modular classrooms and the relocation of a washroom unit. Similar architectural designs will be used when possible to speed construction.
The South Windsong site is on the southwest edge of Airdrie, west of the Windsong community and north of Hillcrest Avenue. Public consultations on the attendance area and school name are expected in 2026–27.
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