About
Built on Alberta Land. Built for Alberta’s Future.
The Yuill School of Agriculture is the first institution of its kind in the province — a full-curriculum agricultural high school operating on a working 76-acre farm. We exist because Alberta’s food system needs the next generation, and that generation deserves a serious education to match.
Our Story
Alberta grows food for the world.
Alberta grows food for the world — but for decades, there has been nowhere in the province for a high school student to get a real agricultural education. Agricultural science electives exist. Farm programs exist in parts. But a school where agriculture is the entire curriculum, set on working land, with real production enterprises and industry-connected programming? That didn’t exist. Until now.
The Yuill School of Agriculture was made possible by the generosity of the Yuill Family Foundation, which donated 76 acres of land outside Medicine Hat, Alberta to Prairie Rose Public Schools for this purpose. That gift wasn’t just land — it was a belief that Alberta’s agricultural communities deserve an institution that takes the industry seriously, trains young people at the highest level, and sends graduates into the workforce ready to contribute from day one.
Prairie Rose Public Schools, the division overseeing YSA, brought the project to life under the leadership of Nichole Neubauer, Director of Agriculture Education. With decades of personal and professional roots in farming, Neubauer understood the gap firsthand: an industry that employs over 83,000 Albertans, that underpins the entire provincial economy, that feeds millions of people — and yet has no dedicated high school pathway for students who want to make it their career. YSA changes that.
YSA is not a top-down education project. It is a community-built institution.
From the beginning, this school has been built with the industry, not just for it. More than 25 Advisory Council members — ranchers, agribusinesses, agromonists, equipment dealers, food processors, and community leaders from across southeastern Alberta — have shaped the curriculum, the farm, and the programming at every step.
Vision & Mission
What we’re building — and why.
To be the leading agricultural high school in Canada — graduating confident, skilled, and innovative young Albertans who are prepared to lead the future of food and farming.
To provide an authentic, land-based agricultural education that connects students with the natural world, prepares them for real careers in agriculture, and builds the skilled workforce Alberta’s food system needs.
Our Values
The G.R.O.W. values.
Everything at YSA — the curriculum, the farm, the partnerships, the culture — runs on four ideas we teach by living them.
Grounded in Community & Land
Everything we teach is connected to real land, real community, and real agricultural heritage. We learn from the place we’re standing.
Real Learning, Real Work
Students don’t practice agriculture in theory — they practice it on a working farm, in real conditions, with real consequences and real rewards.
Open to Innovation
Agriculture is evolving faster than ever. YSA students embrace technology, data, and sustainability science alongside the foundational traditions of the land.
Working Together
YSA is built on collaboration — between students, programs, industry, and the generations of Albertans who have shaped this land.
How We Teach
The five pillars of a YSA education.
SAE Pathways.
Supervised Agricultural Experience projects let students pursue independent agricultural projects tied directly to their career goals — from a personal cow-calf operation to a market garden to an ag-tech build.
School-Based Enterprises.
Real business operations run by students on the YSA farm — producing, pricing, and selling into local markets. They generate actual revenue and require actual accountability.
Trades & Ag-Tech.
Hands-on technical training in heavy equipment, welding, precision agriculture, and food science — the skills Alberta operators need on day one.
Leadership & Entrepreneurship.
Building the next generation of agricultural advocates, business owners, and community leaders — because Alberta’s food system needs voices at the table, not just hands in the field.
Dual-Credit Alignment.
Partnerships with Medicine Hat College, Lakeland College, and Olds College for courses that count toward both a high school diploma and a post-secondary credential.
Our Division
Operated by Prairie Rose Public Schools.
YSA operates under Prairie Rose Public Schools, serving communities across southeastern Alberta. Prairie Rose’s mandate — to champion rural education and rural futures — made it the natural home for Canada’s most ambitious agricultural high school.
Visit Prairie Rose Public Schools
Leadership
Nichole Neubauer
You don’t build a school like this alone. Every teacher, rancher, agronomist, and partner on this team showed up because they believe Alberta’s kids deserve something serious. I’ve never been prouder of a group of people — or prouder of what we’re building together.
Advisory Council
A school shaped by industry — not just built for it.
Ranchers, agribusinesses, agronomists, equipment dealers, food processors, and community leaders from across southeastern Alberta have shaped YSA’s curriculum, facilities, and programming at every stage.
View the Full Advisory Council →Next Step
Ready to learn more?
Explore our programs or apply for Fall 2027. The next generation of Alberta agriculture starts with the students who choose to be here.
Parent, industry partner, or supporter? Get involved →