‘Ottawa’ As Many as Six Public Elementary Schools May Close in Ottawa’s West End in the Next Year
As many as six of the 22 public elementary schools in the west end of Ottawa could be closed in the next year, says a report to trustees at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
The first two reviews are a study of 22 elementary and four high schools in the west end-Merivale area; and a study of the three high schools in the east end of Ottawa. Staff say it’s too early to identify changes to particular schools, but the magnitude of the closures required is clear from the estimate of six elementary schools. That represents more than a quarter of all the public elementary schools in the area.
A high school will also probably be closed after the first two reviews, says the report. The likely targets are Gloucester or Rideau, two of the three schools that make up the review of east-end high schools. Both are less than half full, while the other high school in the area, Colonel By Secondary, is over capacity.
Schools that are part of the west end-Merivale review
Secondary schools:
Merivale, Sir Robert Borden, Bell, Woodroffe
Some schools in the review that were under capacity in the fall of 2015:
Grant Alternative: 93 students in a school with a capacity for 243
Regina Street: 146 students in a school with a capacity for 300
Severn: 166 students in a school with a capacity for 375
Bayshore: 311 students in a school with a capacity for 594
D.A. Moodie: 351 students in a school with a capacity for 502
Century: 229 students in a school with a capacity for 444
Merivale High School: 616 students in a school with a capacity for 1,362
The third review, of 20 schools in the Alta Vista-Hunt Club area, begins in April 2017. Decisions could be implemented by September 2018. That review will probably result in the closure of another high school, says the report.