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EDMONTON — Mikisew Cree First Nation will open a new Edmonton high school later this month combining Alberta curriculum with Cree language, land-based learning and Indigenous knowledge.
Rita Marten Nihiyawiwin Kiskinwamatowin High School will welcome its first Grade 10 students on Aug. 31. The school will initially serve students from Mikisew Cree First Nation, Edmonton and surrounding communities before expanding to include Grade 11 in the 2027-28 school year and Grade 12 the following year.
Officials say the school is designed to provide a provincially recognized education while strengthening Cree language, culture and identity through a curriculum rooted in Indigenous knowledge and experiential learning.
The school is named after Elder Rita Marten, a respected educator, language advocate and the first female chief of Mikisew Cree First Nation, who served from 1986 to 1989. Marten survived Holy Angels Indian Residential School and spent decades promoting Cree language revitalization. She received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 for her contributions to preserving the Cree language.
“I believe that an ideal education system today should provide a student with a strong understanding of their language and cultural identity in conjunction with promoting academic excellence,” Marten said in remarks shared by the First Nation.
The school’s program will integrate Cree language instruction, land-based education and core academic subjects meeting Alberta curriculum standards. Students will also participate in hands-on learning opportunities intended to prepare them for post-secondary education, employment and future leadership roles within their communities.
The school says it will welcome Indigenous, Métis and non-Indigenous students and will operate according to principles emphasizing inclusion, high expectations, learner success and community collaboration.
Classes will begin in temporary space on Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton while renovations continue at the school’s permanent campus on Whyte Avenue. The First Nation expects to relocate to the permanent site between January and early February 2027, with a formal grand opening planned once renovations are complete.
Mikisew Cree First Nation says the new school represents a significant step toward expanding culturally relevant educational opportunities while helping students succeed academically and maintain strong connections to their language, culture and traditional lands.
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