(Canada) Alberta sees 18% increase in SEVERE DISABILITY students since 2019
- The end of childhood
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Feb 10, 2026, Edmonton Journal: Alberta schools strained as special education needs grow amid overcrowding classrooms
The number of children and students identified with a severe disability rose 18 per cent since 2019 to 46,234 in the 2024-25 school year
As Alberta schools grapple with overcrowded classrooms and growing demand for resources, provincial data shows that special education needs continue to rise.
Data from Alberta Education, collected from schools and Early Childhood Services (ECS) operators, shows the number of children and students with special education needs increased 17 per cent since 2019, reaching 133,703 in the 2024-25 school year.
In a statement to Postmedia, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides acknowledged the rising complexity in classrooms and the strain it has placed on the system. He said the issue has been compounded by the addition of more than 80,000 students entering the education system in three years — laying blame on federal immigration policies, which he said failed to account for school capacity.
“To address this challenge head‑on, we are building more schools and rolling out targeted resources to support teachers and school boards where pressures are greatest,” Nicolaides said.
The province created the class size and complexity cabinet committee to collect classroom data from schools across Alberta. He said the data will be released soon alongside funding and support allocations.
Children enrolled in ECS programs account for the highest number of severe disabilities across all grade levels, from early learning to Grade 12. ECS has remained the group with the largest number of children and students with a severe disability since 2020.
Severe disability includes intellectual disability, emotional or behavioural disability, severe multiple disability, severe physical or medical disability, deafness, blindness and ECS language delay.
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