After years of anticipation, shovels have hit the ground for a long-awaited new elementary school in west Orillia.
Situated across the street from Notre Dame Catholic School near Bass Lake Sideroad and Atlantis Drive, site preparation work for the school began in recent weeks, including tree removal, geotechnical testing, and design work, with the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) set to take possession of the 6.8 acre property in early May.
The new school is set to be home to 334 students from junior kindergarten through Grade 8, and — barring any unexpected issues along the way — has an anticipated opening date of fall 2026.
Given a number of SCDSB schools operating at or beyond capacity, local school board trustee and board chair, Jodi Lloyd, said the preparatory work for the new school is “a significant step forward” in relieving pressure on other local schools and giving students more education opportunities in their neighbourhood.
“The community that's in West Ridge has been looking for a school there … for many, many years, so this is very positive news,” Lloyd told OrilliaMatters. “It's been a project in the works for some time. We're very pleased, and it will sort of relieve some of the pressure because our schools are at capacity or over capacity.
“This is a very positive step forward for the Orillia area.”
About $9 million in funding for the school was announced by the province in 2021, with the school board working to secure the site in recent years.
More funding will likely be needed to complete the school, Lloyd said, although she said a similar school project in Horseshoe Valley has secured additional funding to help bring it to fruition.
“Due to inflation and what we've seen over the last couple of years, the likelihood of us building a new elementary school for $9 million is pretty slim,” she said. “Those are discussions that take place back and forth between our board staff and Ministry staff on an ongoing basis. We're just happy to have the land secure (and) the site prep starting.”
With strong growth throughout Simcoe County, Lloyd said she hopes the new West Ridge school is just one of numerous announcements for new school projects in the region.
“As a board, we are over capacity, and we are anxiously waiting for announcements for further construction projects and new developments with schools because Simcoe County is one of the fastest growing communities in the province," said Lloyd.
