Provincial control over and experimentation with education systems in Canada has resulted in multiple unique education landscapes across the country, each comprised of different school types, methods of instruction, and funding models. In September 2020, the Alberta government implemented a new funding model for kindergarten to Grade 12 education which allocates funding based on a weighted moving average of student enrolments. The introduction of the new model culminated in increased criticism from stakeholders in the education area, heightened public scrutiny of the provincial government’s investment in education, and claims of Alberta allocating the lowest spending per student in the country. By examining and comparing the education funding model components and student instructional funding allocations of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario between the school years of 2020/21 and 2023/24, we show that Alberta’s spending in education falls short and the weighted moving average education funding model does have an impact on the amount of funding allocated to schools. We found, when compared to other provinces, Alberta’s total education spending increased the least, while its K-12 student population experienced the greatest growth and, for every school year studied, Alberta’s average spending per student was the lowest of all three provinces. Furthermore, we identified the weighted moving average model has the largest impact on funding for school authorities with meaningful enrolment growth between school years.