CALEDONIA—Up to 746 students will be sent to the new joint public/catholic elementary school opening in Caledonia’s Avalon area next fall. A boundary review was recently conducted by both school boards to better determine how to divide Caledonia’s rapidly growing student population.
“School construction is well underway, on-schedule, and we expect the school to be ready to welcome students on the first day of school in September 2025,” said Grand Erie District School Board (GEDSB) senior manager of communications and community relations Ryan Strang.
While the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) has chosen the name Pope Francis Catholic Elementary School for their side, the public side remains unnamed for now.
The schools, coming to the corner of MacLachlan Avenue and Whitehorn Crescent in Caledonia, are expected to help relieve some of the pressures faced by current schools in the community as projected growth numbers go far beyond their current capacity.
Caledonia Centennial Public School is a notable example, as it currently has a dozen portable classrooms on site to handle the number of students.
A BHNCDSB review published by Watson and Associates in April 2024 shows enrollment at nearby Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School sitting at 92% capacity in the 2023/24 school year, projected to grow to 150% above capacity by 2033/34. Similar projections show other schools around Haldimand facing over-capacity issues 10 years down the road.
Strang outlined the criteria used to determine the boundaries that will impact several families in the area.
Matching enrollment to school capacity to ensure that as many students as possible are accommodated in permanent construction/classrooms spaces and minimizing the need for portable classroom units.
Maximizing the number of students within walking distance to their school. This reduces the long-term reliance on bus transportation and its associated operating costs, as well as promoting active transportation and a healthy active lifestyle among students.
The distribution and equitable access to special programs such as French Immersion and Special Education.
The equity of facilities with respect to school site, capacity, and programs.
“Students residing within the new attendance area boundary for the new school will have their registrations transferred (including students currently registering for kindergarten). Families will not have to re-register their students,” said Strang on the shift for students to the new schools. “Legacy provisions are being proposed for students currently in Grade 7 who will be offered the option to stay at the school they are currently attending for their Grade 8 year. This is to avoid situations where students are transferred to the new school then must transition again the next year as they graduate to secondary school.”
Those in attendance at a public meeting hosted by GEDSB on November 6 were presented with different options for what those boundaries might ultimately end up looking like, however final decisions have not yet been made, with a draft of the review expected late January.
Strang said that, ultimately, the proposed new boundaries would impact around 450 GEDSB students who currently live, or will live, in the new subdivision area.
BHNCDSB completed their own review process earlier this year. The new boundaries will send 133 current Junior Kindergarten to Grade 4 students to Pope Francis CES, which is projected to open with a full student capacity of over 300 enrolled due to growth in the area.
Strang said that plans beyond the currently under-construction joint school are also taking shape for the area on the public side.
“Caledonia is expected to continue growing because of additional lands slated for development. Grand Erie, in consultation with Haldimand County, is planning for an additional elementary school in future developments to the north of the new joint use Caledonia elementary school,” he concluded.
