Alberta Education Crisis: What the Numbers Reveal

Alberta's public education system is facing a deepening crisis, with recent data revealing the province's per-student spending is the lowest in Canada. For the 2022/23 school year, Alberta allocated just $13,494 per student, significantly less than the national average of $16,579. This means Alberta spent approximately 22.8% less per student than the Canadian average, a substantial gap that highlights ongoing challenges.

The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) argues that Budget 2025's $9.9 billion for K-12 operations, despite being a 4.5% increase, falls far short of the estimated $11.35 billion needed to match national per-student spending and keep pace with projected inflation and population growth. This underfunding stands in stark contrast to significant increases seen in private school funding.

Calgary, a city experiencing rapid population expansion, feels these pressures acutely. Many schools are at or exceeding capacity, and the Calgary Board of Education has explored using non-traditional spaces like recreation centres and office buildings to accommodate growth. This ongoing strain contributes to larger class sizes, reduced resources, and increased stress on educators and students across the city.

Complicating matters further are policy shifts like the 2020 funding formula, which has been criticized for penalizing rapidly growing urban school divisions. Additionally, the Education Amendment Act, 2024, enacted in September 2025, introduced new requirements for parental consent on gender identity matters for students under 16 and ministerial approval for learning resources.

An October 2025 teachers' strike, ended by government legislation, underscored widespread discontent over wages, working conditions, and class sizes. While the province stopped tracking detailed class size data in 2019, a commitment has been made to resume annual collection, with new data expected by January 2026. This systemic challenge demands a comprehensive policy review and reform to ensure quality public education for all Alberta students.,Alberta's public education system is facing a deepening crisis, with recent data revealing the province's per-student spending is the lowest in Canada. For the 2022/23 school year, Alberta allocated just $13,494 per student, significantly less than the national average of $16,579. This translates to Alberta spending roughly 22.8% less per student than the Canadian average, a substantial gap that highlights ongoing challenges.

The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) argues that Budget 2025's $9.9 billion for K-12 operations, despite being a 4.5% increase, falls far short of the estimated $11.35 billion required to match national per-student spending and keep pace with projected inflation and population growth. This underfunding stands in stark contrast to significant increases seen in private school funding.

Calgary, a city experiencing rapid population expansion, feels these pressures acutely. Many schools are at or exceeding capacity, with the Calgary Board of Education exploring using non-traditional spaces like recreation centres and office buildings to accommodate student growth. This ongoing strain contributes to larger class sizes, reduced resources, and increased stress on educators and students across the city.

Complicating matters further are policy shifts like the 2020 funding formula, which has been criticized for penalizing rapidly growing urban school divisions. Additionally, the Education Amendment Act, 2024, enacted in September 2025, introduced new requirements for parental consent on gender identity matters for students under 16 and ministerial approval for learning resources.

An October 2025 teachers' strike, ended by government legislation, underscored widespread discontent over wages, working conditions, and class sizes. While the province stopped tracking detailed class size data in 2019, a commitment has been made to resume annual collection, with new data expected by January 2026. This systemic challenge demands a comprehensive policy review and reform to ensure quality public education for all Alberta students.