The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board says enrolment for 2026-27 is coming in slightly above expectations, with 14,798 elementary students and more than 8,702 in high school.
That includes projected growth of roughly 200 secondary students.
John Ulicny, executive superintendent of human resources and incoming director of education at WECDSB, says the growth presents space challenges, with schools already nearing or exceeding capacity.
“Our secondary schools are operating at 106 per cent capacity, our elementary schools at 93 per cent capacity, so we continue to look at creative ways to find additional space for our students to ensure that we’re providing them with the best possible Catholic education,” Ulicny said.
St. Joseph’s High School is set to become the largest high school at 1,446 students, an increase of 105 students.
Ulicny said the incoming Grade 9 class at St. Joseph’s is projected at 398 students, the largest Grade 9 group in the entire board.
“We are currently under construction for an eight-classroom addition, which is scheduled to open in February 2027,” he said.
“We do have a number of portables on site, and we will not be able to remove all of the portables even with the addition.”
A couple of schools are showing slight declines, including Catholic Central High School.
Ulicny said the McDougall Street school is projecting a drop of about 70 students, down to roughly 757.
“A lot of that is attributed to the government change in position with respect to immigration and new Canadians. We’re seeing far fewer new Canadians throughout our system and it is having an impact. We do anticipate Catholic Central to grow over the course of the next couple of months,” he said.
Ulicny adds the board’s 2026-27 budget will be tabled June 9, with final approval expected June 16.