One of the newest schools in Windsor-Essex is expanding.
The Ontario government has announced $4-million for a permanent addition at Legacy Oak Trail Public School in LaSalle, creating 167 more student spaces.
The school at 2648 Leptis Magna Drive opened September 2021, but has been using five portables since then to accommodate some members of the student body.
Todd Awender, Superintendent of Education with the Greater Essex County District School Board, says they knew the school they were building was going to be too small, but at the time the student population was not what it is now.
"You typically don't get money for students that aren't in the building yet. We put in the business case for the addition to the school and we were very fortunate to get it, very pleased and very excited," he says.
Awender says the area around the school is booming.
"You can look at the number of subdivisions that are going up around there and I know there is going to be even more," he says. "The principal, Shawn Dufour, has probably registered an additional 100 students versus what the norm was over the past five years or so."
Awender says there will be some extra classrooms available if there is any future growth.
"There's going to be two kindergarten classrooms and then five regular classrooms that we be part of the addition.," he adds.
There is currently around 500 students enrolled at the school, which is not far from the Vollmer Culture and Recreation Complex.
With files from Aaron Mahoney