Westwind School Division

What Westwind School Division does

Westwind School Division is a publicly funded K-12 school jurisdiction organized under Alberta's Education Act, serving approximately 4,600 students across 32 schools in southwestern Alberta. The division operates 13 community schools in Cardston, Magrath, Raymond, Stirling, Glenwood, Hill Spring, Mountain View, Del Bonita, Spring Coulee, and Welling, along with 19 colony schools serving Hutterite communities. Formed on September 1, 1994, through the unification of the former Cardston School Division, Stirling School District, and a portion of the County of Warner School Division, the division is governed by a Board of Trustees comprising nine elected members from six electoral wards plus one trustee representing parents of Blood Tribe students. Leadership is headed by Superintendent Darren Mazutinec with three Assistant Superintendents covering Student Services, Human Resources, and Learning Services, plus a Secretary-Treasurer.

Name

Westwind School Division

Legal name

Westwind School Division

Website

https://westwind.ab.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Title I & Compensatory Education Programs (EDAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Rural school division
• Student wellness programs
• FNMI education services
• Agriculture education

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardston

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Provincial Education Funding: As a public school division in Alberta, Westwind School Division is funded by the Alberta Government through per-student grants and supplementary funding. The division does not charge tuition for Alberta residents. Revenue is allocated based on enrollment numbers, geographic factors, and targeted funding for specific programs (e.g., FNMI education, colony schools, inclusive education).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Westwind School Division is a publicly funded K-12 school jurisdiction in southwestern Alberta that delivers tuition-free public education to approximately 4,600 students across 13 community schools and 19 colony schools. Its offerings span Early Childhood Services, Kindergarten through Grade 12 academic instruction, athletics, extracurricular activities, FNMI (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) education, agriculture-based learning, student wellness support, and dual credit programs with Lethbridge Polytechnic. The division is supported by PowerSchool for student information, SchoolMessenger for parent communication, and the SchoolGuide App V2 for mobile engagement.

Product overview

Westwind School Division is a K-12 public education school division in Southern Alberta serving approximately 4,600 students across 13 community schools and 19 colony schools. The division operates a portfolio of educational programs and services including core academic instruction, athletics, agriculture education, and wellness initiatives. Technology platforms include PowerSchool for student information management, SchoolMessenger for parent communications, and the SchoolGuide App V2 (developed by Box Clever) for mobile access to school calendars, news, and notifications. The division also produces the NunnTalks Podcast featuring education conversations with staff and community members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nunn Talks Podcast: A podcast hosted by Assistant Superintendent Austin Nunn featuring members of Team Westwind and important conversations about education.
• SchoolGuide App
• Westwind Wellness

Products and services

• K-12 Public Education Program Tuition-free K-12 public education delivered through 13 community schools and 19 colony schools to approximately 4,600 students in southwestern Alberta, covering Kindergarten through Grade 12 academic instruction, athletics, extracurriculars, and assessment.
• Early Childhood Services (ECS) and Kindergarten Program Early Childhood Services including Early Learning Program and Kindergarten programs for pre-K and kindergarten-aged children in the division, providing foundational early learning experiences.
• Agriculture Education Program Hands-on agriculture education delivering steer, poultry, apiary, tower garden, hydroponic, vertical growing, and fodder farming programs, primarily anchored at Mountain View School and across multiple schools and colony schools, supported through Sustainable Agriculture Education Partnership (SAEP) grants.
• First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Education Program FNMI education programming providing culturally responsive education, Orange Shirt Day events, Truth and Reconciliation activities, National Indigenous Peoples Day events, FNMI Wellness support, and a dedicated trustee elected from parents of Blood Tribe Students.
• Westwind Wellness (Niistomskan) Student Wellness Program Division-wide student wellness and mental health program providing newsletters, mental health resources, and wellness support across topics including addiction, ADHD, autism, mindfulness, nutrition, parenting, and FNMI family supports, including the Hope Squad peer-support initiative.
• Educational Psychology Team Educational psychology services delivering psychological assessments, consultations, and support programming to students across the division's schools.
• Family School Liaison Counsellors (FSLC) Family-school liaison counseling services providing mental health support, family engagement, and at-risk student intervention across the division's schools.
• Summer School Program Summer school program offering credit recovery and educational enrichment programming to students across the division during summer months.
• Dual Credit Programs with Lethbridge Polytechnic Dual credit academic pathways enabling Westwind students to earn college credits at Lethbridge Polytechnic while completing high school, including the Intro to Trades course and other career and technology programs.
• Student Transportation (Bus) Services Division-operated student bus transportation services covering the entire geographic jurisdiction of southwestern Alberta, including regular bus routes, cross-boundary transportation, inclement weather notifications, and bus safety policies.
• Colony School Education Program Dedicated K-12 education program tailored to Hutterite colony communities, delivered across 19 colony school sites with curriculum adapted to colony life and supported through SAEP-funded agriculture projects.
• Westwind Alternate School (Alternative Education) Westwind Alternate School provides KG-12 alternative education programming for students requiring non-traditional learning environments and personalized educational pathways.
• NunnTalks Podcast Podcast series hosted by Assistant Superintendent Austin Nunn featuring conversations with Team Westwind members, educators, students, and experts on education, student achievement, mental health, and school community topics.
• SchoolGuide Mobile App V2 Mobile application developed by Box Clever for Westwind School Division, enabling parents to view school calendars, receive news and blog updates, access district links, and get push notifications for their children's schools. Available on App Store and Google Play.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,600 students served across 32 schools (13 community + 19 colony)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sustainable Agriculture Education Partnership (SAEP)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022SAEP provides Westwind teachers with $500 grants for agriculture education projects. Funded projects include the Mountain View Steer Program, Magrath High School Fodder Farm, Mountain View Poultry Program, Cardston Elementary Bunny Project, Mountain View Apiary Program, Magrath Elementary Vertical Growing Wall, and colony school gardens. SAEP is a key supporter of the division's agriculture-based learning initiatives.
• Save The KidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestwind School Division partnered with the non-profit organization Save The Kids to host resilience and digital safety events featuring speaker Nate Webb across multiple division schools. Save The Kids is dedicated to helping parents raise resilient kids in a tech-heavy world, addressing issues of bullying and social media impact on youth mental health.
• University of Lethbridge (Nursing Students)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Lethbridge nursing students partnered with Westwind School Division schools to support student wellness as part of their clinical placements and community health education initiatives.
• Lethbridge PolytechniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestwind students participate in dual credit programs at Lethbridge Polytechnic, including the Intro to Trades course. Students have shared their experiences at the polytechnic as part of career and technology programming. The division also participated in the grand opening of the Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute (SACI).
• Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute (SACI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestwind School Division participated in the grand opening of the Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute (SACI), a post-secondary institution serving southern Alberta students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lethbridge School Division: Neighboring public school division in Lethbridge, Alberta, serving a comparable urban-rural mix in southern Alberta. Most directly comparable peer given geographic proximity, similar enrollment scale, and overlapping program offerings including dual-credit and trades pathways.
• Palliser School Division: Public school division serving southeastern Alberta with a similar rural/small-town footprint and comparable enrollment scale. Directly comparable in operating model, governance structure (elected board trustees), and provincial funding model.
• Horizon School Division: Public school division serving southeastern Alberta with a similar rural and small-town enrollment base. Operates under the same Alberta Education Act framework with comparable per-student funding and governance structure.
• Chinook's Edge School Division: Public school division in central Alberta serving rural and small-town communities. Highly comparable in rural character, enrollment scale, and provincial funding model to Westwind.

Regional players

• Foothills School Division: Public school division in southwestern Alberta serving communities south of Calgary. Comparable in rural character and provincial funding model, though it operates in a different sub-region and draws from more commuter communities.
• Medicine Hat Public School Division: Public school division serving Medicine Hat and surrounding area in southeastern Alberta. Comparable in public K-12 governance and Alberta Education funding, though more urban-concentrated than Westwind's rural mix.
• Red Deer Public Schools: Public school division serving Red Deer and surrounding area in central Alberta. Comparable provincial governance structure, though with a more urban-centric enrollment base.
• Grande Prairie Public School Division: Public school division serving Grande Prairie in northwestern Alberta. Comparable Alberta Education framework but operates in a different region with a distinct resource-economy demographic base.

Broad incumbents

• Calgary Board of Education: Large urban public school division in Alberta serving Calgary. Operates under the same provincial framework but at a much larger scale (~140,000 students), making it a broad incumbent rather than direct rural competitor.
• Edmonton Public Schools: Largest public school division in Alberta serving Edmonton. Comparable governance and funding model but operates at substantially greater scale and urban density than Westwind.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wwsd74
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgPCPyc1tKAufcnn7TTl6mg
• Facebookfacebook.com/wwsd74

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westwind School Division