A dedicated francophone secondary school may be in the works for Cochrane, as representatives from the Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud School District and the Town of Cochrane presented an informational proposal to Council during the April 7 Committee of the Whole meeting.
No final decisions were made at the Committee of the Whole meeting—the purpose was solely to present the proposal. The project is still pending formal Council approval, which will be requested at an upcoming regular council meeting on April 14.
The Proposal outlines a 4.5-acre parcel located at 136 Quigley Drive. It is an 'L'-shaped lot and is situated north and west of the existing school. There are five residential lots that back directly onto the site on the west side, the CPKC railroad to the north, Mitford School and shared ball fields to the east and Quigley Drive to the south.
While the site offers ideal proximity to the existing school, some members of council expressed concern over the impact on nearby residents.
“Most of the public in that area probably have no idea that there could possibly be a new school there,” said Coun.Marni Fedeyko. “If you are living in that area and know nothing about this, it becomes a huge shock.”
To address concerns, administration confirmed that setbacks up to 15 metres are planned—well above the required 3-metre minimum.
“People would appreciate that,” said Coun. Susan Flowers. “We need to use our land wisely.”
Since December 2023, the Town has been working closely with FrancoSud to find a viable location for a new secondary school. Three options were reviewed:
- Acquiring an existing, unused “shovel-ready” school site
- Expanding the current K–8 facility
- Building a new facility adjacent to École Notre-Dame des Vallées
Ultimately, the new build emerged as the most practical solution. The Heartland school site was unavailable, and an expansion of the current school is not feasible under Alberta’s public-private partnership (P3) funding model.
If the Town of Cochrane agrees that the subject site is an appropriate location to build a new francophone secondary school, FrancoSud will request a letter of endorsement from the Town to use as part of their funding application request to the province. If funding approval is received this summer, then FrancoSud estimates that the proposed secondary school could start classes as early as September 2029.
Coun. Morgan Nagel supported the move, citing both educational and community benefits:
“I think we just absolutely need to move forward with any school opportunity presented. Due to growth in our region, we’re just way behind on schools,” he said.
“The access to a school drives up the property value of homes. As long as you can sell that house to a family with kids, they’d be thrilled to purchase it for a higher price.”
As of the 2023–2024 school year, École Notre-Dame des Vallées has reached 210 students, edging closer to its maximum capacity of 240, accommodating students from kindergarten through Grade 12 due to the absence of a dedicated secondary school in the area.
FrancoSud reports an average annual enrollment growth of 5.2% over the past six years. If trends continue, projections show the school will meet or exceed its capacity by the 2027–2028 school year.
Students in grades 7–12 are particularly underserved, as the current facility lacks specialized secondary programming such as science labs, CTS classrooms, and a larger gymnasium. This has contributed to low retention in the francophone stream.
“Statistics have shown that when we lose those students that go to an English track, most of the time they do not come back to the francophone track,” said Stephan De Loof, FrancoSud’s Executive Director for Facility Services, Planning and Transportation. “This is the case when you don’t have an existing school to accommodate.”
If Council agrees that the 136 Quigley Drive site is appropriate, FrancoSud will request a letter of endorsement to support their provincial funding application. No formal approval or commitment has been made yet. Administration will bring forward a formal request for Council’s support and permission to proceed with a land transaction at the next regular council meeting on April 14.
