A new school in Chestermere’s Dawson’s Landing neighbourhood has reached its groundbreaking milestone, moving the city closer to adding classroom space for its growing student population.
Rocky View Schools held the ceremony Oct. 7 with trustees, division leadership, Chestermere-Strathmore MLA Chantelle de Jonge and project partners attending. The Kindergarten–Grade 9 school is expected to open in September 2028 and provide 905 student spaces.
The planned building will have more than 30 instructional classrooms, two science laboratories and a gymnasium with capacity for 700 people. Dedicated spaces are also planned for art, music, construction technologies, food and drama programming.
The division says Chestermere enrolment has increased approximately 40 per cent since East Lake School opened in 2014.
Ward 1 Trustee Shali Baziuk described the project as a step toward providing students with needed space. Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides linked it to the province’s Schools Now program, which supports school construction in growing communities.
The project follows several years of work to address pressure on existing schools.
In a January 2025 accommodation report, RVS administration said four of Chestermere’s five schools were operating at full capacity as of Sept. 30, 2024. Overall utilization stood at 94 per cent, while Chestermere Lake Middle School was at 100 per cent.
Those figures describe conditions at that time, rather than current enrolment. They help explain why the division pursued changes before the new building could open.
The report said land constraints prevented additional modular classrooms at the middle school. A staff working group, established in November 2023, examined attendance areas, grade configurations, alternative schedules and modular classrooms as possible responses.
Administration identified changes to student distribution and school boundaries as a way to provide temporary relief while permanent space was developed.
RVS’s 2027–2030 capital plan describes continued pressure despite the subsequent adjustments. It says Chestermere schools also accommodate students from surrounding Rocky View County, contributing to transportation demand and difficult drop-off and pickup conditions.
The plan identifies seven active residential developments in Chestermere and says further growth will require additional permanent school capacity.
It also notes that Horseshoe Crossing High School in Langdon has helped relieve pressure at Chestermere High School. Within Chestermere, the 2025 accommodation changes adjusted attendance boundaries and East Lake School’s grade configuration, providing another option for students in Grades 7 through 9.
RVS describes those measures as short-term relief, with new schools needed to address longer-term demand. RVS capital-plan overview
For parents, the groundbreaking is separate from confirmation of which school their children will attend.
RVS advises that its attendance-area map is a guide and that boundaries can change. A child’s assigned school is confirmed during registration. Families whose address does not appear, or whose school does not update on the registration form, can contact the division at 403-945-4125.
The Dawson’s Landing opening remains anticipated for September 2028. Families should use current registration information when making school arrangements while the project moves toward completion.