William Reid School

William Reid School Almost Closed Down Twice

By Tracey J. Johnson

February 24, 2020

In 1984, the Calgary Board of Education was proposing to close down William Reid School. A few years prior to this it appeared that the school would have to close due to lack of enrollment. The French Bilingual Program was then introduced and was very successful. At the time, William Reid had a capacity of 150 and was 90% full. Residents opposed the closure of the school and fought to keep it open.

Today, thanks to that community effort more than 35 years ago, William Reid is still in operation with a capacity of 320 students, more than double than before. It still maintains the 90% full rate, though there is now, due to high demand, a waiting list every year with a lottery in place for kindergartners.

*Fun fact - William Reid (for whom the school is named) was very active with the EPRA in the 1940's.