Originally built to accommodate 1,000 students, St. Andre Bessette Catholic Secondary School (SAB) currently serves more than 1,600 students and is the largest secondary school in the LDCSB. Due to the rapid growth in the number of students, the following measures have been implemented, effective immediately, to help curb the growth at the school:
Shared Capacity Across Two High Schools in North London
SAB is well over capacity and has no space to add additional portables. Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School (MTS) currently has some capacity and space. Some students looking to attend a Catholic secondary school in North London will register at MTS instead of SAB.
St. Andre Bessette Registrations Now Include:
Siblings of any currently registered SAB students and all currently registered LDCSB students in Grade 8 living within SAB boundaries. This includes some or all students (depending on home address) from St. Catherine of Siena, St. Marguerite d’Youville, St. Thomas More, Notre Dame, St. Paul, Our Lady of Lourdes (Delaware), St. Patrick (Lucan).
Mother Teresa Registrations Now Include:
All students currently eligible to attend MTS. In addition: Grade 8 students from other schools who would normally attend SAB will register at MTS, and transportation will be provided.
Additional changes affecting other schools are likely as school enrollment continues to rise.
The LDCSB is the fastest growing Catholic school board in the province. Student population has increased from 18,000 to 26,000 students over the past eight years, and the board continues to welcome new students to our schools every day. Some reports predict that the city of London population will grow from 420,000 almost 650,000 by 2050. If the LDCSB grows at the same rate, the student population could increase to approximately 37,000 students in the same timeframe.
This rapid growth means the LDCSB is facing new challenges. More portable classrooms are being ordered than ever before and spaces in schools are being used in different ways. To date, the LDCSB has initial approval to construct three new schools and is hoping for approval to construct more.