An Alberta charter school that offered an education based on traditional Indigenous teachings is closing after 21 years, due to low enrolment. Mother Earth's Children's Charter School near Warburg, Alta., about 80 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, will not be welcoming students back in September.
"We just don't have the numbers to continue," principal Erin Danforth wrote in a May 29 letter to community members. The K-9 school was the first and only Indigenous children's charter school in Canada. Charter schools, which are not permitted in other provinces, are funded by the provincial government and run by non-profit boards.
Alberta has 36 charter schools and the number has been increasing since a cap of 15 was removed in 2019. The number of students attending charter schools has also grown by about 30 per cent since the 2019-2020 school year, according to provincial statistics. Superintendent Ed Whittchen said the school's enrolment, which peaked at 120 but had been declining for the past few years, fell to 20 students this year.
A public school closed in rural Alberta. Parents are opening a charter academy in its place In Depth Edmonton schools are facing a space crunch as student numbers continue to grow The school's board voted to request permission from the education minister to close the school and give up the charter in late January, according to a school board meeting minutes. "It was a sad time for people to have to make that decision, but we were all in agreement tha.