COCHRANE FRANCOPHONE HIGH SCHOOL
Over the last years, FrancoSud has been working in collaboration with the Town of Cochrane, Rocky View Schools, the Calgary Catholic School District, and the Government of Alberta to secure the construction of a Francophone secondary school (Grades 7–12) in Cochrane.
Why a Francophone High School in Cochrane?
- École Notre-Dame des Vallées (NDV) was originally designed as a K-8 school and now serves students from kindergarten to Grade 12.
- The facilities are not adequately equipped to offer a high school program comparable to surrounding Anglophone schools.
- The school has reached its maximum capacity. We anticipate enrollment will exceed 230 students by September 2025.
The Advantages of a Francophone High School in Cochrane
- Francophone schools play an important role in the social, cultural, and economic development of a town, and can be a decisive factor for families when choosing where to buy a home, work, and raise their children.
- The construction of new schools helps create a variety of new jobs: teaching staff, support staff, professionals, and more.
- FrancoSud wishes to collaborate with the Town of Cochrane to establish a community school that will benefit all citizens by offering access to shared facilities such as a gymnasium, kitchen, and other community resources.
- Building a dedicated Francophone high school will allow NDV to better retain students after Grade 6, helping to reduce enrollment pressure on other high schools in Cochrane.
ALBERTA SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
The Alberta government announced in October 2024 an investment of $8.6 billion in school infrastructure over the next two years.
We must take advantage of this announcement to obtain this important investment in Cochrane.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
FrancoSud plans to build a high school (Grades 7 to 12) for 275 students on the current site of École Notre-Dame des Vallées.
This would be considered a small school by Alberta Education standards, and is equivalent to an expansion of the existing school.
Using this site offers many advantages:
- It maximizes the use of available school land in Cochrane, making it a strategic and fiscally responsible decision.
- The land is construction-ready, properly zoned, and will not result in any additional costs to the municipality for development or services.
- Having both schools on the same site will create synergies and shared activities between the students of both schools.
Various options were evaluated for the construction of this school. The use of the current site was selected as the best option, with the support of Rocky View Schools and Calgary Catholic school division.
IMPACTS ON TRAFFIC
Students of this new school will use the same school buses as those of the current school, meaning there will be no additional bus traffic.
NDV currently only operates 6 school buses.
This project does not include preschool services (daycare, pre-kindergarten, before- and after-school care). As a result, it will have a very minimal impact on increased car traffic.
