Alberta’s UCP government says it will spend $200 million to hire more than 1,400 new teachers in an effort to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through Grade 9 classrooms during the 2026-27 school year.The funding will flow through a new Class Size Reduction Grant as Alberta schools continue to face mounting pressure from rapid population growth. The province says nearly 90,000 students have entered Alberta classrooms over the past four years, contributing to larger and increasingly complex classes.Premier Danielle Smith said the funding is part of the province’s broader effort to support teachers and students while expanding classroom capacity.“Over the past year, we have been taking real action to support Alberta classrooms by hiring more teachers, adding more educational supports and creating more student spaces across the province,” Smith said.Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said smaller class sizes improve learning conditions and make classrooms more manageable for teachers.The province said the grant was developed following recommendations from the Class Size and Complexity Cabinet Committee, which reviewed data from more than 108,000 classrooms across Alberta to identify schools facing the greatest pressures.Funding will be directed toward public, separate and francophone school divisions, with larger and faster-growing boards expected to receive more support if they have higher numbers of overcrowded core classes..The announcement builds on a previous $143 million commitment made in February to address classroom complexity. That funding supported the hiring of up to 476 teachers and 952 educational assistants in schools identified as having the most complex classroom environments.Colleen Holowaychuk, board chair, Elk Island Public Schools, said smaller classrooms give students more instructional time and improve understanding of key concepts.Sandra Palazzo, board chair, Edmonton Catholic Schools, welcomed the targeted approach, saying it complements previous provincial spending on modular classrooms and new school construction.Budget 2026 also includes funding to hire more than 1,600 teachers and 800 support staff provincewide during the 2026-27 school year.
