On February 12, the Government of Alberta released the findings of their Alberta Classroom Insights Survey, which revealed that thousands of classrooms across the province are struggling with “high complexity.” The results prompted a $143 million emergency investment from the government to deploy specialized support teams into schools.
“During the strike in October, many teachers and parents raised concerns over the issue of complexity in classrooms,” said Premier Danielle Smith at the government’s media conference. “Minister Nicolaides and I are committed to listening and acting on their concerns.”
This is first time in six years that the province has collected a class-by-class breakdown of learning conditions. The study flagged more than 4,000 classrooms as “highly complex,” a designation based on a combination of student density, specialized learning needs and chronic behavioural challenges.
Demetrios Nicolaides, minister of Education and Childcare, identified 655 high-priority schools that will be the first to receive help. The centerpiece of the government’s response is the creation of 476 classroom complexity teams.
Each team will consist of one teacher and two educational assistants. These teams are designed to provide immediate, in-class relief by assisting with English language-learners, supporting students with special needs and managing disruptive behaviours that have increasingly strained the learning environment.
The complexity teams are part of a broader $10.8 billion education budget for 2026, which includes a commitment to hire 5,000 new teachers and support staff over the next three years. Of the initial 476 complexity teams, 171 are slated for Calgary and 143 for Edmonton, with the remainder distributed to rural and smaller urban districts.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) called the funding a “meaningful step,” noting that the government’s data reflects the findings of their own member surveys. ATA president Jason Schilling credited “teacher unity” for moving the needle on the issue but expressed skepticism regarding the speed of implementation.
“This shift is a direct result of the relentless advocacy by teachers, bolstered by parents and communities who collectively demanded an end to the unsustainable status quo,” said Schilling.
While the funding for complexity in K–6 is a welcome first step, Schilling says the classes for Grades 7–12 are also under extreme pressure. “We know from our own research and our pulse survey data that we released in January that some of our largest classrooms are in high school.”
Nicolaides noted that while the current focus is on elementary schools to ensure early intervention, the Class Size and Complexity Cabinet Committee will continue to monitor junior and senior high schools to address rising pressures in those higher grades. The premier also emphasized that the government aims to provide the necessary supports to address complexity.
“Our message to teachers and to school administrators is this: We have heard you. We’re here for you, and help is on the way,” said Smith. “We want you back doing what you do best—teaching, providing leadership and shaping the next generation of young Albertans in one of the world’s top ranking school systems.”
Schilling says schools need to see the immediate deployment of these complexity teams to the classrooms, as well as concrete, sustainable plans for the future.
“The ATA will closely monitor the deployment of these new resources to ensure they result in real improvements for students and teachers,” said Schilling. “And it is now the responsibility of school boards to act swiftly so that new staffing is in place without delay.”
The list of schools that will be receiving new classroom complexity teams is available at abteach.cc/complexity-school-data.
