For Students
This Is Not Your Average High School.
At YSA, your classroom is a 76-acre working farm. Your homework is a real enterprise. Your teachers include the industry professionals who will one day hire you. If you’re done with abstract education that doesn’t connect to real life, this is your school.
A Day In the Life
What student life at YSA actually looks like.
Morning
Farm chores and enterprise check-ins before classes.
The day starts on the farm. Animals get fed and watered. Crops get scouted. Greenhouses get checked. By the time first period starts, you’ve already done meaningful work — and you’ve learned something the way it’s actually learned.
Afternoon
Program coursework, labs, and farm operations.
Math problems use real farm numbers. Biology labs run on real soil and real animals. Business class plans real enterprises. Every academic credit is anchored to something you can see and touch on the 76-acre campus.
Throughout the Year
Industry visits, competitions, and mentorship sessions.
YSA students don’t just learn from textbooks — they learn from the people running real operations. Tours of feedlots, processors, greenhouses, and ag-tech companies. Skills competitions and judging events. Mentors who already work in your field.
Year 2 & 3
SAE project — your own agricultural enterprise.
Every YSA student designs and runs a Supervised Agricultural Experience — a real, multi-year project they’re accountable for. A small herd. A market garden. A honey enterprise. A drone scouting service. By the time you graduate, you’ve already run something that earned its keep.
Year 3
Capstone, certifications, post-secondary planning.
By Grade 12 you’re walking out with industry certifications, a finished SAE, dual-credit hours, and a clear next step — whether that’s college, university, an apprenticeship, or jumping straight into the workforce.
Who Thrives at YSA
You don’t need to come from a farm background.
Many YSA students come from urban and suburban communities and discover their passion for agriculture here. What you need is the right mindset.
01
Work Ethic
This is a real working school. Animals get fed before students do. The day starts early and ends with what’s been done, not what’s been said.
02
Curiosity
Every day you’re learning something new — about a species, a system, a piece of equipment, a market, or yourself.
03
Commitment
Agriculture doesn’t take days off, and neither do YSA students. Animals don’t care that it’s a long weekend.
04
A Sense of Purpose
You want an education that connects to something real — food, land, animals, communities, the world that depends on agriculture.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions students ask us most.
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Do I need to be from a farm family?
No. Students from all backgrounds are welcome. YSA will teach you everything you need to know — many of our students arrive from urban and suburban communities and discover their passion for agriculture here.
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Will I get a real Alberta diploma?
Yes. YSA students graduate with a fully accredited Alberta High School Diploma. All required credit hours are met through the agriculture-integrated curriculum.
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Can I still go to university or college after YSA?
Absolutely. YSA graduates are well-positioned for agricultural colleges, university science and agriculture programs, and trades apprenticeships. Our dual-credit partnerships with Medicine Hat College, Lakeland College, and Olds College give students a head-start on post-secondary credits. Explore the programs to see specific post-secondary pathways.
Apply Now
Take the first step.
Applications for Fall 2027 are open. Apply now — or explore the programs and the farm first.