School District 57 Proposes Changes to Catchment Areas by 2026

Officials from School District 57 have proposed adjustments to catchment areas and enrollment limits for several elementary schools in a report presented at a board meeting on December 10, 2025. The recommendations include maintaining a cap on French immersion kindergarten enrollment at École College Heights and implementing a new limit of 40 kindergarten students at Heritage Elementary. These changes aim to address current enrollment challenges and reduce reliance on portable classrooms.

As of September 1, 2025, several elementary schools will restrict enrollment to students residing within designated catchment areas. Schools affected include Beaverly, École College Heights (English program only), Malaspina, Southridge, Vanway, Harwin, Ron Brent, Edgewood, Heritage, Glenview, Hart Highlands, Springwood, and Peden Hill. In contrast, the only high school with catchment area restrictions is College Heights Secondary.

At the meeting, Lynda Minnabarriet, Secretary-Treasurer, emphasized the importance of keeping students and staff in the same building. Her comments followed a letter from teachers at École College Heights requesting an increase in the French kindergarten cap from 20 to 30 students to facilitate a concurrent kindergarten and split-grade class. The teachers expressed concerns over declining overall enrollment and argued that expanding the French immersion program would attract new families and enhance the program’s sustainability.

Despite this, district staff recommended maintaining the current cap, citing ongoing challenges in recruiting qualified French teachers. The report also highlighted available space at École Lac des Bois, which has 364 enrolled students compared to its capacity of 523. Minnabarriet noted that all French staffing positions are filled for the current year, indicating a positive shift in recruitment efforts.

The report included projections for student enrollment through 2030 and 2035. Currently, College Heights operates at 91.2 percent of its capacity but is expected to decline to 79.1 percent by 2030 before slightly increasing to 82.7 percent by 2035. Other schools in the area, like Beaverly (101.5 percent), Southridge (106.8 percent), and Vanway (112 percent), are currently over capacity, with projections indicating that all but Southridge will experience a decline in enrollment by 2030.

Current Enrollment and Capacity Issues at Schools

Springwood Elementary has an operating capacity of 205 students but had 271 enrolled as of September. The school has set up two portable classrooms to accommodate the overflow. Projections indicate stable enrollment, and no changes to catchment boundaries are recommended at this time.

In contrast, Duchess Park Secondary has exceeded its operating capacity of 900 with 927 students enrolled. Actions taken since 2017 have prevented further increases. Projections estimate the school will drop to 834 students by 2035.

Similar trends are observed at D.P. Todd Secondary, which currently exceeds its 800 student capacity by one. Projections indicate a gradual decline in enrollment, with an expected drop to 661 students by 2035. Recommendations for catchment area changes were not made for D.P. Todd.

At Heritage Elementary, the situation is particularly pressing, as the school has an operating capacity of 322 yet has 397 students enrolled. This figure represents a decrease from the previous year’s enrollment of 431. The school currently uses three portable classrooms, two of which are actively being used as classrooms. The aging portables, purchased in 1990 and 1991, need replacement by September 2026.

To address the excess enrollment and the condition of the portables, district staff proposed new kindergarten enrollment caps and the purchase of additional portables funded by local capital. Superintendent Jameel Aziz informed trustees that the district anticipates losing approximately 100 students annually over the next decade, necessitating ongoing monitoring and adjustments to enrollment policies.

No decisions were finalized during the committee meeting, and the recommendations will be forwarded to the board of education for approval at their meeting scheduled for January 13, 2026.