Increased enrolment in French immersion is expected to put “significant pressure” on some Upper Grand District School Board high schools over the next 10 years, in particular John F. Ross.
That’s one of the details contained in the final Long Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP) report, a draft of which goes before the board’s business operations committee meeting Tuesday night.
The (LTAP) is a strategic review of the Upper Grand District School Board’s facilities, population projections, and enrolment forecasts. It looks at the next 10 years.
Increased FI enrolment, including those graduating from the new elementary stream in Rockwood, will hit John F. Ross hard.
There are currently 510 French immersion students attending Ross.
“At John F. Ross CVI, FI enrolment is projected to increase to 1,000 students by 2027,” says the report.
“Together with Regular Track (RT) growth, this will place significant pressure on the school. FI enrolment alone equates to 60 per cent utilization of the school.
”The Ministry’s funding approval of a new 900-pupil place high school in South Guelph will require the review of program and boundaries for the new school, and other Guelph high schools. At Erin District High School, French immersion enrolment is forecasted to increase from approximately 140 students in 2017 to almost 300 students in 2027."
The long-term plan also lists the board’s capital priorities for the next 10 years.
They include a pair of new elementary schools south of Clair Road.
“Clair-Maltby elementary school #1” is listed as a capital priorities request for the 2021-22 school year and “Clair-Maltby elementary school #2” for the 2026-27 school year.
Prior to that, additions to Hyland Heights, Glenbrook are priorities for 2018-2019, an addition to Edward Johnson is prioritized for 2019-2020 and a new Fergus elementary school for 2020-21.
The board expects elementary school enrolment to increase 16 per cent to 27,000 by 2027 and its secondary school enrolment to increase 11 per cent to 12,300.
A draft final copy of the Long Term Accommodation Plan can be found here.
