Waterloo Catholic District School Board to see large increase in student enrollment by 2032-2033

A new report from the Waterloo Catholic District School Board is projecting the number of students in their classrooms to increase dramatically over the next 10 years.

Current projections shows elementary school enrollment will increase from 18,810 in 2023 to 23,578 by 2027/2028 and 29,294 by 2032/2033, an increase of 56 per cent.

Secondary schools could see an even larger jump from 7,846 to 8,923 by 2027/2028 and 12,479 by 2032/2033, an increase of 59 per cent.

The report said the growth can be attributed to changing demographics, a growing appeal to families who are new to Canada, and a larger portion of the population in “childbearing years,” as well as secondary schools allowing non-Catholic students to enroll.

“Enrolment growth is primarily driven by population growth in the region,” said the report. “Suburban growth and intensification are expected to drive enrolment increases during the forecast period. However, as housing in mature neighbourhoods turns over, existing schools will experience enrolment growth as well.”

The report used three components for their projections, including junior kindergarten projections with birth data and regional population projections, existing school community projections as students progress from grade to grade and forecasted new residential development. The report said new schools, additions/renovations, potential boundary reviews and teachers will be needed to help with the influx of students.

92 per cent of the total elementary school enrollments are located in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, with Kitchener receiving the highest enrollment rate at 45 per cent.

The region’s official plan in 2022 is projecting the population to grow to 923,000 by 2051. At the end of last year, the estimated population in the region was 673,910.