As students, staff, and families settle into the 2025-2026 school year, Bluewater District School Board is reporting a boost in enrolment. Preliminary numbers show an increase of 236 students since the fall of last year.
This latest growth translates to a board-wide total of over 18,900 students across 41 elementary and nine secondary schools. It reflects a positive trend in the region as more families relocate to call Bruce and Grey counties their home while choosing Bluewater schools.
For comparison, total enrolment in the 2020-2021 school year was just over 16,500 students and has been on the rise ever since with a 14 percent increase over the past five years.
Over the same five-year period, school utilization rates (a measure of how full a school is compared to how many students it was designed to hold) have continued to increase. Higher school utilization rates lead to operating efficiencies, which in turn support opportunities to reinvest in programs for students.
Enrolment reporting to the Ministry of Education is a critically important process which ensures that provincial funding allocated to each school board matches its number of students. Boards are required to submit their enrolment numbers twice per school year on the official ministry designated count dates of October 31 and March 31.
As enrolment trends upwards, Bluewater continues to maintain its strong financial position, while building for the future with two new growth schools currently in progress in Dundalk and Port Elgin, and a new replacement build slated for Kincardine. Last March also saw the opening of the new state-of-the-art replacement for Beavercrest Community School, serving a growing student population in the Markdale area.
“This year’s enrolment increase is great news for our board and the communities we serve,” says Director of Education AJ Keene. “Families are entrusting their children with Bluewater due to the quality of education we provide. As our numbers climb, we are also investing in the future through new school builds, infrastructure upgrades, program enhancements, and a continued focus on improving academic outcomes for every student.”
