A new Catholic elementary school in Innisfil is welcome news for parents of young children who may attend it.
On July 23, the province announced funding for a number of schools, including $11.2 million for a new Catholic elementary school for Innisfil.
“I’m actually really excited about it,” said Stephanie Street, a parent of three young children. “We definitely need a school down here.”
According to the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, the new elementary school will be located southeast of the Killarney Beach Road and 20th Sideroad intersection in Lefroy.
The school lot is located in Phase 4 of the Lormel Homes development, which has yet to be completed.
The school was No. 2 on a list of 10 capital priorities submitted to the Ministry of Education for consideration by the board.
The Catholic board has two elementary schools in Innisfil: St. Francis of Assisi and Holy Cross.
“Both are currently experiencing enrolment pressures and are operating over capacity,” said Christine Hyde, manager of planning and properties for the board. “We know we have an existing need for additional capacity in this area, and we also know there’s a significant amount of new development still proposed and expected in the future.”
Holy Cross has a capacity of 501 students. The board expects there will be 622 students attending the school in the fall. St. Francis has a capacity of 401 students, and 484 students are expected in the fall.
The new school will have space for 401 students and has allocation for three child-care rooms.
“The new facility will allow us to better serve our communities and allow us to alleviate those enrolment pressures at our existing facilities while being able to be part of the growing community in south Innisfil,” Hyde said.
If everything goes as expected, the school could open in the fall of 2023.
“We do still need to work in collaboration with the Town of Innisfil and the developer to get the services and the road in to allow us to begin construction,” Hyde noted.
She said the school board is grateful and excited that the province recognized the need for a new Catholic elementary school in Innisfil.
For Street, the new school would mean more family time.
“We go all the way to Holy Cross,” Street said, noting her daughter spends nearly an hour of travel time each day getting to her kindergarten class. “For the little ones, it’s a very long drive.”
She suggested the board will have no problem filling the school.
“There will be a lot of kids there,” she said. “Our bus stop is bigger and bigger every year.”
The school board predicts there will be about 1,900 students in Innisfil by the 2029-30 school year.
Shane MacDonald, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Barrie Advance
