Chestermere Changes to Attendance Areas and Grade Configurations for 2025/26
A community engagement for Chestermere student accommodation was launched in October 2024 to respond to space pressures in our Chestermere schools. The community provided valuable feedback through an in-person information session and an online survey for the Board of Trustees to consider in its decision.
In January 2025, the Board made a decision to change the grade configuration for East Lake School and attendance boundaries for several communities. These changes will help balance student enrolment across schools, add a second school offering Grades 7-9 and allows more students to attend a school closer to where they live.
Changes will occur at the start of the 2025/26 school year.
Summary
- East Lake School will expand from Kindergarten to Grade 6 (K – 6) to Kindergarten to Grade 9.
- The Christian and French Immersion programs for K – 6 will remain at East Lake School and the Christian and French Immersion programs for Grades 7 to 9 will continue to be offered at Chestermere Lake Middle School.
- The communities of Chelsea, Dawson's Landing, Bridgeport commercial, Waterford, Waterford Estates, and Paradise Meadows are redesignated from attending East Lake School to Rainbow Creek Elementary School for K – 6. Students in these communities will attend Chestermere Lake Middle School for Grades 7 to 9.
- The North Acreages area is redesignated from attending East Lake School to Prairie Waters Elementary School for K – 6. Students in these communities will attend Chestermere Lake Middle School for Grades 7 to 9.
- The Clearwater Park community is designated to attend Rainbow Creek Elementary School for K – 6. Students in these communities will attend Chestermere Lake Middle School for Grades 7 to 9.
- Bridgeport North is designated to attend Prairie Waters Elementary School for K – 6. Students in these communities will attend Chestermere Lake Middle School for Grades 7 to 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Students will be automatically registered at next year's school; no action is required.
Unfortunately, we cannot keep everyone in their current school. If we leave everyone at their current school, it means we will not balance enrolments across schools.
In this transition, Out-of-Attendance Area application approvals will be honoured until the student leaves their current school and needs to move to their next school.
Please call or visit the school office of your child’s designated school for 2025/26. If they have room and currently offer that grade, they may be able to take your student early. Please note, bus service may not be available (if eligible) until September.
Out-of-Attendance Area Applications for the 2025/26 school year will be considered this spring.
If you choose to apply for your child to attend a school outside of your attendance boundary you must do so using Administrative Form 305-A Out of Attendance Area Application. Please ensure you include a letter of rationale specifying in detail the educational, psychological/emotional, or medical needs of your child and why the requested school would be better able to meet those needs (attach letters of support from trained professionals).
Key criteria for determining if RVS can accommodate the Out of Attendance Area application is whether we have sufficient space and resources at the out of area school to accommodate the student. Given the significant grade level and attendance boundary adjustments, most Out of Attendance Area requests will not be able to be accommodated.
RVS administration will work with each school to support them in this transition. Schools are already very experienced with supporting students coming from or moving to different schools as they do this every school year.
Bus planning takes place in the late spring and summer. RVS Transportation needs to understand how many riders we will have and where they live to plan bus routes and stops. Bus stops are then communicated to families in late August, provided students have registered before the deadline. Transportation fees are approved by the Board each spring for the upcoming school year. The fees for 2025/26 school year will not be known until they are approved by the Board in spring of 2025.