It’s looking like enrolment in School District 57 is up after years of decline.
According to a preliminary count, there were slightly over 13,000 students in the district as of October 1.
“We’re really excited to see that, after many many years of seeing declining enrolment that we are starting to see a bit of an upward tick in our district’s enrolment,” says board vice chair Tim Bennett. “We have closed 24 schools between 2002 and 2010 due to declining enrolment. At this point, capacity in some of our buildings is something we’re monitoring. We do also have an abundance of open places in other parts of the district.”
The district’s 5-year capital projects plan includes a recommendation to expand DP Todd Secondary to deal with capacity issues.
Bennett says there are other reasons to be optimistic about the numbers.
“As we get more students, we get more people in the community and, when we have more people, there’s the opportunity for more amenities. But, as well, in a funding model where we’re funded per pupil, the more students we have it means schools have larger budgets and the opportunity to ensure the best education for all students.”
As of Oct. 29 last year, there were just over 12,900 students in SD57.
This year’s preliminary numbers will be reviewed and a final count released at the end of the month.
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