The Calgary Catholic School District said it will continue to improve supports and resources to tackle complexity in classrooms, which has been an increasing concern as the student population grows.
According to the latest enrolment report, around 63,514 students were enrolled as of Sept. 27, 2024. This is more than three per cent higher compared with numbers from Sept. 30, 2023, when the CCSD had around 61,854 students.
Around 30 Catholic schools are seeing a utilization rate of 100 per cent or higher, a trend the district previously said is reflective of Alberta’s economy and “relative affordability.”
However, the district is also dealing with increasing complexity in student profiles. According to 2024-2025 budget documents, around 20 per cent of CCSD students have complex and diverse learning needs. Administration also said there is an increasing percentage of referrals to Alberta Health Services, according to the latest Student Welfare Accountability Report
More than 16 per cent of students said they do not have at least one adult to talk to at school, according to the 2023-2024 Student Voice Survey. Around 20 per cent of students said they didn’t feel accepted at school.
“[A principal], who used to be from another district in Alberta, has heard a lot about classroom complexity and there’s just not enough to meet students’ needs,” Superintendent Kathleen Kostiuk said at a board meeting on Wednesday.
The increased number of students with complex and diverse learning needs was seen as a priority for improvement in the CCSD’s latest Student Welfare Accountability Report.
According to the district’s 2024-2025 Operating Budget, the CCSD said it will add 11 Diverse Learning classes with “targeted and intensive support” for early learners along with 123 new teachers and 144 new educational assistants to tackle classroom complexity.
The district also started its Mental Health In Schools pilot grant, which will add a mental health professional to each CCSD school through district funding. The funding will expire in June 2025, the Student Welfare Accountability Report said.
Other resources include expanding English Language Development programming and providing family support for CCSD students with complex learning needs.
The CCSD also said it will continue to provide alternative programming at St. Gemma Outreach High School and St. Anne Academic Centre to support cognitive, behavioural and mental health needs.
But the report also noted that there is a need for long-term sustainable support for mental health funding from the Alberta government.
“We would ask our trustees to continue the fierce advocacy to address significant population growth, student and classroom complexity, and certainly continue the work you’re doing to make sure that the funding that we get is sustainable, which is going to allow us to work on this long-term,” Kostiuk said.
Majority of teachers, students, parents say they feel safe at school
Overall, around 86.8 per cent of teachers, parents and students agree that students are safe at school and are learning how to care and respect others.
According to the Alberta Education Assurance Survey, 87.6 per cent of parents and 80.4 per cent of students agreed with the statement. About 92.4 per cent of teachers also agreed.
More than 84 per cent of the district also agreed that the learning environment at schools is welcoming, caring, respectful and safe. This puts the district 0.1 percentage points higher than provincial averages.
Of those, 85.5 per cent of parents and 75.5 per cent of students agreed with the statement. Around 91.3 per cent of teachers also agreed with the statement.
