Our School History

Holy Spirit Academy is located in the rural community of High River. Holy Spirit Academy opened its doors for the first time in the fall of 1994 thanks to the dedication of committed parents who advocated for Catholic Education in their community. The school was originally housed in St. Francis de Sales church hall where a small group of students received their kindergarten education, while older students were bussed to Okotoks. In 1995, the nurses’ residence officially became Holy Spirit Academy and it was renovated to accommodate the first group of 110 students in kindergarten to Grade 6. After having 110 students in the first year there were almost 250 students by year three and Grades 7 and 8 were added. In addition, a second campus had to be established in a separate building several blocks from the original facility. 

Those early difficulties and the perseverance of the families and the division eventually paid handsome dividends capped with the opening of the new Holy Spirit Academy in 1998. Catholic Education in High River thrived and enrollment grew substantially. In June 2013, the community of High River was devastated by a flood, and Holy Spirit Academy was almost completely submerged in water. Students and staff needed to be relocated so that Holy Spirit Academy could be rebuilt.  Students and staff were temporarily housed at the Memorial Centre in downtown High River for 6 months until temporary portable construction was completed beside Notre Dame Collegiate in the north end of High River. In less than a year, once construction was completed, we were fortunate to be back at Holy Spirit Academy.

The school currently enrolls approximately 500 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6, and we have a staff of 40 people who teach and support these students. We are blessed to have a bright facility that features a beautiful gymnasium, large classrooms, a beautiful library and music room, a sensory room, and a chapel.  Faith is at the core of our school and permeates everything we do.  We pride ourselves on providing a faith-based education where academic excellence is pursued.