Demand high at private schools in Waterloo region

Private schools across Waterloo region are seeing enrolment like never before.

“All 247 seats are full, 317 children are on the waitlist” said Fred Gore, the director of education at St. Jude’s and Scholar’s Hall private schools in Kitchener.

The schools operate out of the same building. Gore said they are waiting for a city building permit to expand and add ten classrooms to make room for more students but even that won’t be enough.

“Even with the expansion – we will only be able to accommodate 150-160 students from our waitlist,” said Gore.

Gore said he hopes the city will approve their permit soon but for now, they are unable to accept any new students until September 2024.

The waitlist is not stopping parents from inquiring. Gore said he’s been receiving two requests a day to learn more about their programs since the announcement of potential strike action by CUPE education workers.

“About two weeks ago the calls became a little more urgent and said, ‘do you have a spot now? Can I move in my child now?’” said Gore.

Dawn Delaney’s daughter joined St. Jude’s this year to avoid disruptions like strike threats.

“It really just kind of solidified our decision to move into a private school. Both my husband and I have very busy careers,” said Delaney. ''As a family we feel supported. She’s very excited about coming to school.”

Parents over at AIM KW School said they made the switch from the public school system to the private school system for consistency.

“The pandemic changed the way people looked at the way their kids learned,” said Chantel Williams.

Samatha Paul, a parent of three students at AIM KW School, said she’s noticed an increased interest in private schools within her social circles.

“Oftentimes it’s regarding class sizes and wanting something a little bit smaller for their children,” said Paul.

Chantelle Aguilar, the principal of AIM KW School said enrolment has been steadily on the rise and to meet the growing demand, they have added two new classes making space for about 30 more students.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase of enrolment of students that have not been in a private school before or homeschooled during the pandemic,” said Aguilar. “We’ve had a lot of inquiries to tour the school – see what it’s about and see if it’s feasible for families.”