Mikisew Cree First Nation is set to open a new high school in Edmonton later this month, which will combine the Alberta curriculum with Cree language instruction, land-based learning, and Indigenous knowledge. Rita Marten Nihiyawiwin Kiskinwamatowin High School will welcome its first Grade 10 students on August 31. Initially, the school will serve students from the Mikisew Cree First Nation, Edmonton, and surrounding communities. It will expand to include Grade 11 in the 2027-28 school year and Grade 12 the following year.
Officials state that 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 and language advocate who was the first female chief of Mikisew Cree First Nation, serving from 1986 to 1989. Marten survived Holy Angels Indian Residential School and dedicated decades to the revitalization of the Cree language. She was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 for her contributions to preserving the Cree language. The school’s program will integrate Cree language instruction, land-based education, and core academic subjects that meet Alberta curriculum standards.
Students will also engage in hands-on learning opportunities to prepare them for post-secondary education, employment, and future leadership roles within their communities. The school will welcome Indigenous, Métis, and non-Indigenous students and will operate on principles of inclusion, high expectations, learner success, and community collaboration.
Classes will begin in a 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 the renovations are complete.
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