What are collegiate schools and why are they popping up across Alberta?

STEM Collegiate opened its doors to 250 students in Grades 7 to 9 a week ago today.

Sawyer Sternhagen was among them. He travels from Beaumont every day to attend the new charter school in south Edmonton.

Though only in Grade 7, he's already thinking about a career in science, technology, engineering and math; for the past few years, he's been dreaming of becoming a medical researcher.

His mother, Ashley, had no idea what a collegiate school was when she first heard about it, but she knew her son was naturally drawn to STEM and she liked the idea of him doing more hands-on learning. 

"I hope that it makes him feel more successful and ready for whatever it is he chooses to do," she told CBC News.

Collegiate schools have been in the works for a while, but the first are now starting to open this fall, with others planning to accept students this spring and next year.

The schools are a priority for the provincial government. In her mandate letter to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith mentioned bringing more collegiate schools online "to create pathways for students to post-secondary or their chosen fields in the workforce."

So what are collegiate schools and how do they differ from more traditional ones? CBC News examined how the new education model is developing in different ways across the province.

What are collegiate schools?

The Alberta government defines them as specialized schools that give students direct pathways to post-secondary education and careers.

The schools — private, public, charter, francophone or Catholic — offer programming for students in grades 7-12. Some schools, like STEM Collegiate, have their own buildings. Other collegiate schools operate within existing schools and school divisions.

Alberta's approved collegiate schools have a number of specializations, including environmental science, aviation, agriculture, health care, commercial driving and other skilled trades.

The schools must have a formal agreement with one or more post-secondary institutions and offer experiential learning.

Collegiate high schools provide opportunities for students to earn post-secondary credits.

According to its latest annual report, Alberta's education ministry allocated $15.5 million to support collegiate schools' permanent facilities in 2022-23 and gave 11 one-time $50,000 grants for their applications.

Twelve collegiate schools have been approved by the provincial government so far. They are located across the province, in rural and urban areas.

How are they different from regular schools?

Jackie Taylor, director of the Central Alberta Collegiate Institute (CACI), said the collegiate model builds on programs that for years have allowed high school students to earn credits toward post-secondary qualifications and apprenticeships.

"It's really just enhanced dual-credit programming that we take and put into a multi-year journey for students," she said. 

CACI is available to students in multiple central Alberta school divisions. Students who participate will graduate from their home high schools but also have access to work placements and programming at Olds College and Red Deer Polytechnic.

Next fall, when Fort Vermilion School Division's Connecting Futures Collegiate School opens in northern Alberta, students will be able to attend locations in the towns of High Level, Fort Vermilion and La Crete.

How many students are attending them?

Hundreds of students across the province are learning at collegiate schools.

About 130 high school students are participating in CACI this year, in Grades 10-12.

Alanna Wellwood, principal of Calgary-based STAND Collegiate, said about a dozen students will attend the private collegiate school full-time and more than 65 are expected to take single courses.

She said the full program attracts students with demanding athletics, arts or travel schedules while the individual courses appeal to adult learners and students looking for courses their local schools lack.

"Think of it as like Lego for learning," she said. 

Some collegiate schools are still developing their programs but anticipate strong demand from students in the coming months.

Joelle Reynolds, associate dean of youth initiatives at Lethbridge College, said the college has been piloting courses for the Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute.

She said more than 200 students and parents attended an information night about an introduction-to-trades course, which offered 24 seats last year.

Chad Kuzyk, associate superintendent of the Livingstone Range School Division, said a dozen students have expressed interest in studying at PEAKS Collegiate Campus this spring, but the school anticipates accommodating up to 200.

How are they addressing labour shortages?

Matthew Kierstead, STEM Collegiate's principal, said his school is working with Edmonton post-secondary institutions and industry partners to develop courses and identify in-demand skills.

"They can tell us what they are looking for in our students," he said.

Peace River School Division, working with Northwestern Polytechnic, has created the North Peace Driving Academy. Its goal is to help more students graduate from high school and become Class 1 drivers. There is a shortage of commercial drivers in the province.

"We haven't had driving schools in this part of the world before, so the partnership between us and Northwestern Polytechnic has been well-received by families in the area and also by all the industry in the area," said superintendent Adam Murray.

Are there any problems with the model?

Annie Kidder, executive director of People for Education, a public education research and advocacy non-profit, said experiential learning is important for students, but she has some concerns with the collegiate model.

"What we want to make sure is that we are leaving lots of choices open, after kids graduate, to all students, and that we're not dividing kids early on," she said. 

She said school systems with specialized schools can end up dividing students along racial and socioeconomic lines.

And she also worries about a 14- or 15-year-old making a choice that would be hard to undo.

Lisa Davis, STEM Collegiate's founder, doesn't agree that attending a specialized school can limit options later.

"It allows students to determine whether this is something for them or not, so that when they get to post-secondary, they have a really good understanding of where their interest and aptitude lies," she said.