The Elementary and Secondary Identified School Reports were received at the May 26 Upper Grand District School Board meeting.
The reports, presented annually to the board, identify schools that are overcapacity and under capacity by comparing enrolment projections for the next school year against the ministry’s on-the-ground capacity rating for each school (“bricks and mortar” building, excluding portables.)
Elementary schools
Thirteen per cent of the elementary schools in the board are overcrowded, while 28% of the schools are underutilized and 59% are neither overcrowded nor underutilized.
In Wellington County, two elementary schools are overcrowded.
John Black Public School in Fergus is new to the overcrowded category, with a projected 2015-16 occupancy rate of 113.7%.
The other school in the category is JD Hogarth Public School in Fergus, with a projected 2015-16 occupancy of 117.4%. However, the school has a two-room ecopak and a four-room portapak, which increases the capacity of the school to 616 and decreases to total occupancy to 91.1%.
There are six county schools listed as underutilized. Centre Peel Public School in Drayton is new to the list, with a projection for 2015-16 close to the underutilized threshold at 80.3%.
The other five schools include: Eramosa Public School at 80.5%, Alma Public School at 77.9%, James McQueen Public School in Fergus, at 77.3%, Ross R. MacKay Public School in Hillsburgh at 62.3% and Erin Public School at 59.4%.
Erin Public School has had more than 200 unused pupil places in the past two years, putting it in the category of having potential facility partnership space. Because the Town of Erin’s Servicing and Settlement Master Plan confirmed there is limited capacity for future growth in Erin and Hillsburgh, the enrolment at these schools is expected to decline.
The other elementary schools within Wellington County are neither overcrowded nor underutilized.
Secondary schools
Six of 11 of the board’s secondary schools are at 100% occupancy or more. Only one school is under capacity.
The average capacity for the secondary schools in the UGDSB is about 98%.
There are four secondary schools in Wellington County, including Norwell District Secondary School, the only high school in the board that is underutilized, at 66.4%. This is the third year there has been more than 200 pupil spaces not being used at the school. Board officials state the decline in the elementary enrolment in rural areas may be impacting secondary enrolments. The report says it would be appropriate for staff to discuss potential partnership opportunities with Norwell.
Centre Wellington District High School is also being considered for potential facility partnership spaces. This is the second year there has been more that 200 pupil places unfilled. However, the school’s occupancy rate is 81.8%, so it’s technically not underutilized.
Wellington Heights Secondary School and Erin District High School fell in neither the overcrowded nor underutilized category.
Wellington Heights SS has an estimated projection of 84.1% occupancy and Erin DHS has an estimated projection of 102.1% occupancy for the next school year.
