KITCHENER -- Several hundred students across four Catholic elementary schools in Waterloo Region will be calling a new school home, come September.
After months of debate and public consultations, The Waterloo Catholic District School Board approved boundary map changes on Monday night, in an effort to ease congestion at St. John in Kitchener.
The board has previously said St. John is the fastest growing school in the region, with its enrollment surpassing capacity.
They note the school is equipped to hold 502 students, but has projected the number of students to grow close to 900 by 2024.
Under the new plan approved on Monday, the school’s overflow will be spread between Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Nicholas, and Holy Rosary.
The change will affect 423 students.
It will see 205 moved from St. John, 140 from Our Lady of Lourdes, and 78 from Holy Rosary.
However, the board did decide however that students currently in grades 6 and 7 at the four schools, along with their siblings currently enrolled at the same school, will be allowed to remain at their current schools.
An appeal process, led by board staff, will also be offered to families of existing and affected out of boundary students with extenuating circumstances.
