Wasaga Beach gets provincial approval for its first high school

Wasaga Beach will finally have its first high school. On Wednesday, the Town announced the state-of-the-art kindergarten to Grade 12 school project will go ahead.

"This unique project will deliver more than additional elementary school capacity, a child care centre and a community theatre for Wasaga Beach. It is the first high school in the history of our community, and it is long overdue," said Mayor Brian Smith in a press release.

"It is time that Wasaga Beach has its own school for high school students," said Brian Saunderson, MPP for Simcoe-Grey.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce was in Wasaga Beach for Wednesday's announcement.

"This is one of the largest school projects we will approve in this round of capital," Lecce said.

"We agreed on the proposal, we delivered $57.7 million and a lot of K to 12 schools, especially in growing and rural parts of Ontario, have become more common, so at the end of the day, the decision point was the boards to make it K to 12. We funded it, and we’re committed to getting it done," he added.

The new school will be part of the Town's new twin-pad arena on River Road West, and have room for more than 1,000 students, plus an additional 49 licensed child care spaces.

"By leveraging $60 million of existing municipal infrastructure in the Town's new twin-pad arena and library, we are able to deliver an expanded range of community uses, save money for taxpayers, and deliver a K-12 school for our community at a more affordable price for the school board," noted Wasaga Beach's CAO Andrew McNeill.

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The beachfront town is one of Ontario's fastest-growing municipalities, with its population of 25,000 predicted to double by 2051, and with no existing secondary school in Wasaga Beach, the Town estimates that 1,000 high school students are bused outside the community.

The new elementary/secondary school campus is expected to open in 2027.