‘It’s packed’: 9 Calgary Catholic high schools are overcapacity

The Calgary Catholic School District operates 13 high schools and, according to last year’s enrolment numbers, nine are operating overcapacity.

Father Lacombe High School in southeast Calgary is one of those busy schools. The school had an unexpected enrolment increase this fall. Father Lacombe already has 10 portables and has requested two more.

“It’s really tight,” principal Chris Brochu said.

“We are using every classroom and instructional space that we have. Our computer labs, our Learning Commons — it’s packed.”

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Brochu said the average class size is 39 students. She said it’s a challenge getting all the students who are learning English the help they need.

“A lot of our students need one-on-one. They need a lot more support and some of those classes, unfortunately, there are around 24 (in a class) when we would like them maybe closer to 20 or 18,” Brochu said.

The chair of the board of trustees says there is an urgent need for high schools.

“Our number one high school priority is in Airdrie (for St. Martin de Porres expansion) because it is such a rapidly growing community. Beyond that, we have another priority, which is a west Calgary high school,” said board chair Mary Martin.

Martin says the province is well aware of Calgary Catholic School District’s need for high school space and she’s hopeful there will be some funding news in the upcoming provincial budget.

According to numbers from 2018/2019, Bishop Carroll, Father Lacombe, Notre Dame, St. Anne, St. Mary’s, St. Martin de Porres (Airdrie), and St. Gabriel the Archangel (Chestermere) Bishop McNally and Bishop O’Byrne are overcapacity.