What are collegiate schools and why are they popping up across Alberta?

STEM Collegiate opened its doors to 250 students in Grades 7 to 9 a week ago today.

Sawyer Sternhagen was among them. He travels from Beaumont every day to attend the new charter school in south Edmonton.

Though only in Grade 7, he's already thinking about a career in science, technology, engineering and math; for the past few years, he's been dreaming of becoming a medical researcher.

His mother, Ashley, had no idea what a collegiate school was when she first heard about it, but she knew her son was naturally drawn to STEM and she liked the idea of him doing more hands-on learning. 

"I hope that it makes him feel more successful and ready for whatever it is he chooses to do," she told CBC News.

Collegiate schools have been in the works for a while, but the first are now starting to open this fall, with others planning to accept students this spring and next year.

The schools are a priority for the provincial government. In her mandate letter to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith mentioned bringing more collegiate schools online "to create pathways for students to post-secondary or their chosen fields in the workforce."

So what are collegiate schools and how do they differ from more traditional ones? CBC News examined how the new education model is developing in different ways across the province.

The Alberta government defines them as specialized schools that give students direct pathways to post-secondary education and careers.

The schools — private, public, charter, francophone or Catholic — offer programming for students in grades 7-12. Some schools, like STEM Collegiate, have their own buildings. Other collegiate schools operate within existing schools and school divisions.

Alberta's approved collegiate schools have a number of specializations, including environmental science, aviation, agriculture, health care, commercial driving and other skilled trades.

The schools must have a formal agreement with one or more post-secondary institutions and offer experiential learning.

Collegiate high schools provide opportunities for students to earn post-secondary credits.

According to its latest annual report, Alberta's education ministry allocated $15.5 million to support collegiate schools' permanent facilities in 2022-23 and gave 11 one-time $50,000 grants for their applications.