The hamlet of Rolling Hills, Alta., appears out of a sea of flat farmland as a checkerboard of bungalow houses and wide lawns.

With a population of around 270 people, the southern Alberta community is big enough to sustain a filling station, an arena and a small grocery store.

At the centre of it all is what many refer to as the true heart of the community: a pre-K to 9 public school serving about 65 kids.

Until recently, the future of Rolling Hills School was uncertain. Parents worried falling en…