As one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada, Blackfalds faces some unique challenges, one of those, making sure they have enough space in their schools.

Superintendent of Wolf Creek Public Schools Jayson Lovell says they werein the process of reviewing and finalizing their school division's capital plan, when the most recent census data came out, and they realized the growth in Blackfalds had to be addressed.  

“We’ve just opened up as of this week, two portables added on to Iron Ridge Elementary Campus. So we are expanding our capacity, but yet we recognize that in a very short period of time, we are going to reach our enrollment capacities in all three Blackfalds schools. And when that happens, we want to ensure that we have space that is going to accommodate that rapid growth in Blackfalds.”

Iron Ridge Elementary was just opened last September.

Lovell says the board of trustees has requested a chance to re-examine their capital plan and their priorities.

“We also recognize that there has been a long standing focus and desire to look at a high school in Blackfalds, understanding that we are currently transporting our students from Blackfalds to Lacombe Composite High School. In the short term, we have the capacity and space at LCHS, but if we look down the road to the near future, we will likely reach our capacity there as well.”

The Wolf Creek Public School Board now plans to meet with the Town of Blackfalds to discuss future needs of the community, as well as the potential for any partnerships for school modernizations or new builds.