Oakville NE #1 Secondary School Boundary Review

Presentation

Meeting Recording

Monday, Feb. 2, 2026 - Oakville NE #1 HS Boundary Review - BRC #1 (virtual)

Introduction

• The Boundary Review Committee (BRC) are welcomed to the initial boundary review meeting.
• Superintendent Tara Connor honours the land and territory.
• The members of both the Boundary Review Steering Committee (BRSC) and the Boundary Review Committee (BRC) are introduced.  

Agenda

• Objective and Introduction
• Oakville NE #1 Boundary Review Resolution
• Communication Plan
• “How to Read” Overview
• Review of the Study Area and Growth Areas
• Assumptions
• Options
• Next Steps 

Oakville NE #1 Boundary Review Resolution

• The Board of Trustees approved the motion to initiate the review at the November 4, 2025 Board Meeting. 
• BE IT RESOLVED THAT, That the Board of Trustees direct staff to initiate and complete a boundary review for SRA 201 South of Dundas Oakville (formerly SRA 102 and 103) and SRA 202 North of Dundas Oakville (Formerly SRA 108) to establish a new secondary school boundary for the new Oakville NE #1 Secondary School and to review the distribution of the French Immersion Programs. 

Milestones

• Both pathways for the boundary reviews and reviews, the outline of how both pathways 1 and 2 are happening in parallel are gone over.
• The committee is currency at the initial BRC meeting stage. 

Communication Plan 

• A boundary review webpage is created.
• There is a dedicated email for the review (OakvilleNE1HS@hdsb.ca).
• Communications (notices) are sent from the HDSB to families.  

“How to Read” Option

• Areas are also broken into “Zones”
  • The role of the zones is to make it easier to convey changes or movement between options. 
• The option sheets and their indicators are explained.
  • Green, below 100% school capacity.
  • Yellow, above 100% school capacity but below the max site capacity of the site.
  • Red, above max site capacity.
  • Definitions of the terms are also given. 
• The bar graphs (how the school capacity per option will be shown) are introduced and explained.
  • English = Green
  • French Immersion = Blue
  • Special Education = Orange 

Review of the Study Area and Growth Areas

• Schools involved in the Eng study area:
  • Dr. David R. Williams
  • PS Harvest Oak PS
  • Oodenawi PS
  • Falgarwood PS
  • Forest Trail PS
  • Munn’s PS
  • Palermo PS
  • River Oaks PS
  • Sunningdale PS
  • White Oaks SS
  • Garth Webb SS
  • Iroquois Ridge HS
• Schools involved in the FI study area:
  • Dr. David R. Williams PS (GR 8-9)
  • Harvest Oak PS (GR 8-9)
  • Oodenawi PS  (GR 8-9)
  • Falgarwood PS (GR 8-9)
  • Forest Trail PS (GR 8-9)
  • Heritage Glen PS (GR 8-9)
  • Munn’s PS (GR 8-9)
  • Palermo PS  (GR 8-9)
  • Pilgrim Wood (GR 8-9)
  • Pinegrove PS (GR 8-9)
  • River Oaks PS (GR 8-9)
  • Sunningdale PS (GR 8-9)
  • White Oaks SS
  • Garth Webb SS
  • Iroquois Ridge HS  

Assumptions

• The assumptions when reviewing/creating the options presented are:
  • New boundaries are effective Sept 2027 at the earliest, any final option may include multi-year phasing.
  • Oakville NE #1 HS will contain an English program and Community Pathways Program (CPP); a French Immersion program will not be considered for this review (may be considered at a future date).
  • Special Education Services will defining the CPP boundary for Oakville NE #1 HS.
  • English and French Immersion secondary students south of Dundas St are not impacted.
  • Elementary schools - It is not the intention of this review to change the boundaries or programs of the participating elementary schools but to change the ultimate secondary home school.
  • After review by Board staff, it is determined that the FI program at T.A. Blakelock HS is not a viable program. The following has been determined:
    • Since 2020, the program has declined from 196 students to 61 students.
    • Some FI elementary feeder schools are sending zero (0) students to T.A. Blakelock HS Gr 9 FI.
    • Assuming current progression rules for Gr 8 FI to Gr9 FI, the FI program at T.A. Blakelock HS is projected to remain around 60 students.
  • Proposed boundary change is to phase out the FI program at T.A. Blakelock HS, starting with Gr9 in Sept 2026 and directed to Garth Webb SS. Current FI students at T.A. Blakelock HS can remain at T.A. Blakelock HS until graduation. 

Options

• Status Quo
  • Currently the whole of the North of Dundas for English and French are going to White Oaks SS.
• Option 1
  • Goal for this option was to eliminate split cohorts in FI schools
  • The new schools will only start with grade 9 and 10.
  • Oakville NE #1 HS opens Sept 2027 as a Grade 9 and Grade 10 ENG school (Zones 2 to 10). Add one grade per year until school becomes a Grade 9 to 12 school (2029/30)
    • Feeder schools - Dr. David R. Williams PS, Harvest Oak PS, Oodenawi PS, Oakville NE #5 PS.
  • White Oaks SS boundary and enrolment is impacted due to change in ENG and FI boundaries and change in family of schools (Zones 3, 4, 5 FI remain at White Oaks SS).
    • Split cohorts removed - Forest Trail PS and Palermo PS (ENG and FI) all directed to Garth Webb SS , Munn’s PS all directed to Iroquois Ridge HS.
  • Garth Webb SS boundary change implemented Sept 2026 (Zone 1 ENG, Zones 1, 2, 6, 7 FI).
    • Current White Oaks SS ENG and FI students in these Zones remain at White Oaks SS until graduation.
  • Iroquois Ridge HS boundary change (FI only) implemented Sept 2026 (Zones 8, 9, 10).
    • Current White Oaks SS FI students in these Zones remain at White Oaks SS until graduation. 
• Option 2
  • Oakville NE #1 HS opens Sept 2027 as a Grade 9 and Grade 10 ENG school (Zones 2 to 10). Add one grade per year until school becomes a Grade 9 to 12 school (2029/30)
    • Feeder schools - Dr. David R. Williams PS, Harvest Oak PS, Oodenawi PS, Oakville NE #5 PS.
  • White Oaks SS boundary and enrolment is impacted due to change in ENG and FI boundaries and change in family of schools (Zones 2 to 7 FI remain at White Oaks SS).
    • Split cohorts removed - Palermo PS ENG all directed to Garth Webb SS, Munn’s PS all directed to Iroquois Ridge HS.
    • Split cohort remains - Palermo PS (Zone 2 FI) Forest Trail PS (Zones 6, 7 FI) continue to be directed to White Oaks SS.
  • Garth Webb SS boundary change implemented Sept 2026 (Zone 1 ENG and FI).
    • Current White Oaks SS ENG and FI students in these Zones remain at White Oaks SS until graduation. 
  • Iroquois Ridge HS boundary change (FI only) implemented Sept 2026 (Zones 8, 9, 10).
    • Current White Oaks SS FI students in these Zones remain at White Oaks SS until graduation. 
• Option 3
  • Oakville NE #1 HS opens Sept 2027 as a Grade 9 and Grade 10 ENG school (Zones 2 to 10). Add one grade per year until school becomes a Grade 9 to 12 school (2029/30)
    • Feeder schools - Dr. David R. Williams PS, Harvest Oak PS, Oodenawi PS, Oakville NE #5 PS.
  • White Oaks SS boundary and enrolment is impacted due to change in ENG and FI boundaries and change in family of schools (Zones 2 to 6 FI remain at White Oaks SS).
    • Split cohorts removed - Palermo PS ENG and FI all directed to Garth Webb SS, Munn’s PS all directed to Iroquois Ridge HS.
    • Split cohort remains - Forest Trail PS (Zone 6 FI) continue to be directed to White Oaks SS.
  • Garth Webb SS boundary change implemented Sept 2026 (Zone 1 ENG, Zones 1, 2, 7 FI).
    • Current White Oaks SS ENG and FI students in these Zones remain at White Oaks SS until graduation.
  • Iroquois Ridge HS boundary change (FI only) implemented Sept 2026 (Zones 8, 9, 10).
    • Current White Oaks SS FI students in these Zones remain at White Oaks SS until graduation.
• Question or comments on the options
  • Praise from the committee for splitting the north oakville secondary catchment between schools.
  • Options 3, keeping cohorts together is one of the top priorities for parents
    • Keeping zone 6 within the WOSS boundary makes sense. 
  • Is the number of students leaving FI into grade 9 taken into account?
    • Yes, average retention for FI is tracked per school.
  • Is loser enrolment at White Oaks an acceptable outcome?
    • Yes, there are 2 campuses. 
    • There are other board operations that could use a campus.
  • Abbey Park HS is not part of the discussion, why?
    • We are not looking to make any changes to the English track boundary.
  • Will there be special programs offered at the new school?
    • We are not at that stage yet. 
    • We are investigating a high end athlete program.
    • We are looking to provide as many programs as possible so that students are able to choose their path.
  • In 2032 the projections get into the orange zone, are the numbers assuming the second high school opens?
    • We are not assuming the second new HS opens in the projections.  

Next Steps

• The next meeting is scheduled for February 11th in-person at Harvest Oak PS. 

Criteria to review Options include but not limited to:

Geographic Area and Barriers: Can boundaries comprised of multiple Zones that are geographically contiguous be created, taking into account any physical barriers (natural or constructed)?

Viability of Programs: Can the number of students required to offer and maintain a program in an educationally sound and fiscally responsible way be maintained?

Student Experience: Can the number of school moves students have experienced be minimized? Can cohorts/families be kept together? What strategies can be employed to improve the transition of students resulting from a boundary review process?

Balance of Overall Enrolment: Is student access to programs, resources, and extracurricular opportunities optimal? Is over and underutilization of buildings avoided to the extent possible, reducing where possible the use of portable classrooms in the short, medium and/or long-term?

Stable Long-Term Boundaries: Do the projections show long-term stability and result in avoiding the need for additional boundary changes in the short term?

Proximity to Schools: Are there opportunities for maximizing walk-to schools, safe school routes, and incorporating natural boundaries into the proposed options? Can transportation requirements and costs be minimized?

Other: Other criteria recommended by the BRSC or BRC