New TVDSB school announced for southwest London, Ont. at least 4 years away

The provincial government has committed to building a new elementary school in southwest London where students have already outgrown existing classroom space. 

The $20.7-million project is expected to take four years to build once land is acquired, a purchase not yet made by the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB). 

In a report prepared by economists Watson & Associates economists and presented to board last November, enrolment of elementary students in London jumped by about 11 per cent, from 50,892 to 56,621, in the last five years. 

The report says London's growth will exceed elementary school spaces — known as on-the-ground capacity — in London's public board by 2023/24.

Neighbourhoods in the southwest have seen substantial growth, with elementary schools such as Northview and Somerset P.S. using multiple portables.  

"We are very pleased the Ministry of Education has supported this important project that will help the Board deal with growing enrolment pressures in our elementary schools in London," said TVDSB Director of Education Mark Fisher in a statement released Tuesday.

The new project would accommodate 804 pupils, and have a five-room child care centre for 88 infants, toddlers and preschoolers. 

The TVDSB has also submitted a proposal to the province for another school in the southwest — in Byron. That funding is not yet approved.

Meantime, the Ministry of Education had previously approved funding for two other new schools in London, including one in northwest London, slated to be ready by 2025/26. The second is in the southeast neighbourhood of Summerside, which is on track to open in September. 

Trustees will review a report Tuesday on short-term solutions for dealing with overcrowding in schools across the city, including in the southwest and the northwest neighbourhoods of London.