The Capital Strategy identifies new schools, additions to schools and replacement school requirements and will serve as the basis for the Board’s multi-year capital funding request to the Ministry of Education.
The goals of the Capital Strategy are provided below. The implementation of each goal is subject to Ministry of Education approvals and funding.
- To provide community schools for all students wherever possible
- To provide permanent accommodation to match sustainable community growth in a timely fashion
- To minimize the reliance on portable accommodation
- To replace older school facilities where conditions warrant
- To utilize excess capacity within the system wherever practical
- To combine schools and/or undertake pupil accommodation reviews where circumstances warrant according to Policy #463, Pupil Accommodation Review
Projects Submitted to the Ministry of Education
Elementary
| 2023 |
Sharon PS (Replacement/New School) |
East Gwillimbury |
Growth/Replacement |
638 |
Approved |
| 2023 |
Aurora 2C ES |
Aurora |
Growth |
638 |
Approved |
| 2023 |
Stouffville ES |
Whitchurch-Stouffville |
Growth |
638 |
Approved |
| 2023 |
Kleinburg/Nashville ES |
Vaughan |
Growth |
638 |
Approved |
| 2023 |
Markham Centre ES |
Markham |
Growth |
638 |
|
Secondary
| 2025 |
Block 11 SS |
Vaughan |
Growth |
TBD |
|
| 2025 |
Oak Ridges SS (Dr. Bette Stephenson addition) |
Richmond Hill |
Growth |
TBD |
|
* Subject to Ministry of Education funding approval. School opening dates are based on a minimum of 2-3 years for elementary and 4-5 years for secondary, from date of approval.
Emerging Projects
| 2024 |
North Leslie ES |
Richmond Hill |
Growth |
638 |
|---|
| 2024 |
Oak Ridges East #1 ES |
Richmond Hill |
Growth |
638 |
|---|
| 2024 |
Queensville ES |
East Gwillimbury |
Growth |
638 |
|---|
| Post 2024 |
Block 40 ES (South site) |
Vaughan |
Growth |
638 |
|---|
| Post 2024 |
Cornell ES |
Markham |
Growth |
638 |
|---|
| Post 2024 |
Holland Landing ES |
East Gwillimbury |
Growth |
638 |
|---|
| Post 2024 |
King City ES |
King City |
Growth |
638 |
|---|
| Post 2024 |
New School/Adrienne Clarkson PS (Addition) |
Markham/Richmond Hill |
Growth |
TBD |
|---|
| Post 2024 |
Newmarket SE ES |
Newmarket |
Growth |
TBD |
|---|
| Post 2025 |
Stouffville DSS (Addition) |
Whitchurch-Stouffville |
Growth |
TBD |
|---|
Emerging projects are listed in alphabetical order by year.
Proposed Pupil Accommodation Reviews
In previous Capital Strategies, small schools have been
reviewed and recommendations were brought forward to annually review or propose
that Pupil Accommodation Reviews (PARs) be considered where appropriate. A
number of variables would impact the consideration for a Pupil Accommodation
Review (PAR), as small schools could have more than one emerging concern. At
this time, the Ministry of Education has placed a moratorium on initiating
PARs.
In the
2019 Capital
Strategy and Capital Priorities Program Submission List report, staff reviewed
the status of small schools and proposed that pupil accommodation reviews be
considered for Newmarket Central (J.L.R. Bell Public School) and Markham
Thornhill (Stornoway Crescent Public School) once the Ministry of Education
lifts the moratorium on PARs.
Future Student Accommodation
Planning staff review new residential development applications across the entire Region to ensure adequate pupil accommodation. We work with municipalities and developers to designate school sites in areas of significant residential development, several years, or decades, before a new home is even constructed.
The Board reviews accommodation priorities on an annual basis, and depending on the anticipated timelines for development, we establish areas where school accommodation pressures are most imminent. Notwithstanding the Board’s ability to designate a school site in an area of residential development, the construction of a school is based on availability of the school site from the developer, a threshold of students in the area, pupil places available in neighbouring schools including portable usage, and funding from the Ministry of Education.
If you are looking to move to a new York Region community, please inquire with Planning Services staff regarding the status of a school site in a development plan.