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HWDSB recently shared final decisions for two boundary reviews:

A school’s attendance boundaries are influenced by many factors. These can include the construction of a new school or the closure of a school. Geographic boundaries may also play a role, as in the case of natural features like waterways, major features such as rail lines and the irregular shape of land parcels.

A boundary change may be required, and is only undertaken when necessary.

Change may occur when enrolment is higher or lower than a school can accommodate. Enrolment can fluctuate due to changes in program offerings, demographics and home construction. Boundary change is often the solution when one school has high enrolment and a neighbouring school has low enrolment. This can be referred to as ‘balancing enrolments’.

The following are items to consider when contemplating a boundary change:

  • What is the current and projected future enrolment?
  • What is the condition of the school(s)?
  • Have the schools been involved in another recent boundary change?
  • What is the community support for a boundary change?
  • Are there irregularities that require correction?
  • Will a boundary change affect other schools or programs at the elementary/secondary level?
  • What policies or procedures are in place to guide the boundary change?

Learn more about the Boundary Review Process through the Boundary Review Policy and Procedure, or email us at planning@hwdsb.on.ca.

Current Boundary Reviews:

Waterdown Accommodation Strategy (Flamborough Centre, Mary Hopkins, Allan A. Greenleaf, Balaclava and Guy B. Brown)

A Transition Committee is now being formed, with a focus on best supporting students, staff, families and community members through the changes. Click here to learn about the Waterdown Transition Committee.

Final Decision

At the February 26 Board Meeting, HWDSB Trustees approved the final report for the Waterdown Accommodation Strategy. Click here to access the full report. Here are the key points from the decision for each school community:

Flamborough Centre

  • The French Immersion program is being relocated to Guy B. Brown, effective September 2024. 
  • All students in French Immersion will continue to receive bussing, based on HWDSB transportation procedures. 
  • Flamborough Centre will receive Mary Hopkins current grade 4 students, effective September 2024. 
  • Flamborough Centre families are being offered an opportunity to apply to Balaclava through the Out-of-Catchment process. Families will be provided with transportation to the school if they opt for Out-of-Catchment. The deadline to apply is March 22, with decisions being confirmed by March 29.  

Mary Hopkins

  • Mary Hopkins will redirect all new English track families from South of Highway 5 to Allan A. Greenleaf.  
  • Families from the affected area with students already at Mary Hopkins will be offered an application process to request Junior Kindergarten siblings be considered for Out-of-Catchment applications at Mary Hopkins. 
  • Mary Hopkins becomes a K-4 English school. All current Grade 4 and 5 students in English will graduate in June to Flamborough Centre. 
  • Mary Hopkins becomes a Grade 1 to 4 French Immersion school. All current Grade 4 and 5 French Immersion students will graduate in June to Guy B. Brown. 

Allan A. Greenleaf

  • Allan A. Greenleaf will receive students new to HWDSB from South of Highway 5.  
  • Allan A. Greenleaf remains a K-8 school.  
  • No existing students are directly affected by the temporary boundary change. 

Balaclava

  • No changes. 
  • Balaclava will be open to Out-of-Catchment students. 
  • A modified process is in place. Families who wish to apply for Out-of-Catchment to Balaclava will have until March 22 for applications, as the current deadline is March 1. A decision will be made by March 29.  

Guy B. Brown

  • Guy B. Brown will receive all Grade 5 to 8 French Immersion students from Mary Hopkins and Flamborough Centre. 
  • Guy B. Brown remains a dual-track K-8 English and Grade 1-8 French Immersion school. 
  • No existing students are directly impacted by the temporary boundary change. 

The decision will be implemented for September 2024. HWDSB staff will continue to review enrolments each year to ensure the success of the strategy. 

A Transition Committee will soon be formed, with a focus on best supporting students, staff, families and community members through the changes. It provides an opportunity to share input, advice and recommendations to help make the transition as seamless as possible. Click here to learn more about Transition Committees. 

HWDSB staff will continue monitoring enrolments at Waterdown elementary schools to support the safety and well-being of students and staff in these school communities. Monitoring will be done through ongoing site visits and regular discussions with Facility Services staff, Principals and School Councils. Staff will engage City of Hamilton staff on items such as traffic calming measures, crossing guard placement and Active and Sustainable School Travel (ASST) for the three urban sites. Continued review will be required to determine if additional adjustments are needed based on actual enrolments numbers in fall 2024 to 2026.  

HWDSB is soon expecting an update from the Ministry of Education about the request for a new school on our Mountainview Heights property. A message will be shared with the Waterdown school communities when any news is confirmed. 

Out-of-Catchment

As part of the Waterdown Accommodation Strategy decision, Balaclava and Mary Hopkins elementary schools will be open to Out-of-Catchment students for the 2024-25 school year. Please note that only JK students living south of Highway 5 with a sibling already at Mary Hopkins can apply to Mary Hopkins. The application forms are linked below. 

Applications for September 2024 are due by March 22, 2024 at 4 p.m. All applications received by this date will receive a response by March 29. Application forms may be submitted to the school’s email address (no signature required), or a printed copy (signed) may be brought to the school office. 

For questions about the Out-of-Catchment process, please contact your school office. 

Balaclava Elementary School 

Mary Hopkins Elementary School 

Background

December 21 Update:

During the public boundary review meeting on Monday, January 22, 2024, you are invited to participate and provide feedback on the potential Waterdown Temporary Accommodation Strategy. The meeting will take place at Waterdown District High School (15 Parkside Drive, Waterdown) at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. If you require interpretation or child-minding services to participate in the public meeting, please reach out to your school’s principal. Click here to read the letter.

HWDSB staff will provide an overview of the proposed boundary change, answer questions and gather input from community members. You can also visit the Engage HWDSB project to provide feedback online. 

For your awareness, an advisory panel with representatives from school councils will meet on January 11, 2024. The advisory panel will review the potential Waterdown Temporary Accommodation Strategy and provide feedback to HWDSB staff prior to the public boundary review meeting. 

December 7 Update:

At the December 4, 2023, Board meeting, three additional HWDSB schools were added to the short-term accommodation strategy discussions to potentially help relieve accommodation pressure at Flamborough Centre and Mary Hopkins. The additional schools are Guy B. Brown, Allan A. Greenleaf, and Balaclava elementary schools.

HWDSB will stop the review and initiate a new temporary accommodation review including the new schools mentioned above. HWDSB staff will be reaching out to the affected school communities to discuss the process and next steps. The advisory panel will be meeting in January 2024 before another public meeting on January 22, 2024. Click here to read the letter.

October 12 Update:

At the May 8, 2023, Board Meeting, Trustees approved the 2023-24 Accommodation Strategy Schedule. At the December 4, 2023 Board Meeting, Trustees approved a motion to add Allan A. Greenleaf, Balaclava and Guy B. Brown elementary schools to the Waterdown short-term accommodation strategy review to allow additional relief options to be considered.  

This short-term accommodation strategy was undertaken due to accommodation pressures at Mary Hopkins and Flamborough Centre elementary schools. These pressures will continue as residential development continues south of Highway 5 East in Waterdown.  

This strategy had the goal of better balancing the enrolments between the Waterdown elementary schools and share the use of temporary accommodation across the Waterdown community. 

The long-term solution to the enrolment pressures is a new school to be built in the Mountainview Heights development in southeast Waterdown. HWDSB has submitted a capital priority funding request for a 500-pupil place school plus a 5-room childcare centre on an owned site in the neighbourhood. Click here to read the letter.

Advisory Panel Meetings

Public Meetings

January 22, 2024:

During the public boundary review meeting on Monday, January 22, 2024, attendees provided feedback on the potential Waterdown Temporary Accommodation Strategy. The meeting will took place at Waterdown District High School (15 Parkside Drive, Waterdown) at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.

HWDSB staff provided an overview of the proposed boundary change, answered questions and gather input from community members. You can also visit the Engage HWDSB project to provide feedback online. Click here to read the letter.

November 30, 2023:

An in-person meeting regarding the boundary review changes took place at Mary Hopkins Elementary School on Thursday, November 30.

Community voice is important at HWDSB. We encourage families to consider participating by offering feedback for Board consideration. For more information on the Boundary Accommodation process, please refer to the letter sent on October 26, 2023.

Gatestone/Shannen Koostachin Boundary Review

A Transition Committee is now being formed, with a focus on best supporting students, staff, families and community members through the changes. Click here to learn about the Gatestone and Shannen Koostachin Transition Committee.

Final Decision

At the February 26 Board Meeting, HWDSB Trustees approved the final report for the Gatestone and Shannen Koostachin Elementary School Boundary Review. Click here to access the full report. Here are the key points from the decision for each school community:

Gatestone

  • Existing JK to Grade 5 students in the approved boundary change area move from Shannen Koostachin to Gatestone, effective September 2024. 
  • Current Grade 6 and 7 students attending Shannen Koostachin and residing in the identified boundary change area may remain at Shannen Koostachin for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. All siblings of current Grade 6 and 7 students residing in identified boundary change area will attend Gatestone. 
  • All existing out-of-catchment students attending Gatestone may continue to attend Gatestone under the out-of-catchment practice. All siblings of current out-of-catchment students may attend Gatestone in accordance with HWDSB’s out-of-catchment practice. This provision will not cause enrolment of the school to exceed on-the-ground capacity (i.e. no increase in temporary accommodation needs on the site). 

Shannen Koostachin

  • Existing JK to Grade 5 students in the approved boundary change area move from Shannen Koostachin to Gatestone, effective September 2024. 
  • Current Grade 6 and 7 students attending Shannen Koostachin and residing in the identified boundary change area may remain at Shannen Koostachin for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. All siblings of current Grade 6 and 7 students residing in identified boundary change area will attend Gatestone. 

The decision will be implemented for September 2024. HWDSB staff will continue to review enrolments each year to ensure the success of the strategy.

A Transition Committee will soon be formed with a focus on best supporting students, staff, families and community members through the changes. Click here to learn more about Transition Committees.  

Board staff will continue monitoring enrolments at Gatestone and Shannen Koostachin elementary schools and to suggest further actions to support the wellness and safety of both students and staff in these school communities. Monitoring will be done through regular discussions by the Superintendent and Facility Services staff with the Principal, School Councils and ongoing site visits. Staff will engage the City of Hamilton staff on items such as traffic calming measures, crossing guard placement and Active and Sustainable School Travel (ASST). 

Out-of-Catchment

As part of the Gatestone and Shannen Koostachin Boundary Review decision, Gatestone Elementary School will be open to Out-of-Catchment students for the 2024-25 school year. Please note that applications are only for siblings of students already attending Gatestone school through the Out-of-Catchment process OR current grade 6 and 7 students from Shannen Koostachin who wish to attend Gatestone with their siblings. The application form is linked below. 

If there are families who have already submitted an Out-of-Catchment form for their child, there is no need to resubmit one. 

Applications for September 2024 are due by March 22, 2024 at 4 p.m. All applications received by this date will receive a response by March 29. Application forms may be submitted to the school’s email address (no signature required), or a printed copy (signed) may be brought to the school office. 

For questions about the Out-of-Catchment process, please contact your school office. 

Gatestone Elementary School 

Purpose

At the May 8, 2023 Board Meeting, Trustees approved the 2023-24 Accommodation Strategy Schedule. This Boundary Review was undertaken to establish a new boundary between the two schools to better balance enrolments and reduce reliance on portables at Shannen Koostachin.  

The short-term goal of the review was to alleviate increasing accommodation pressures at Shannen Koostachin due to residential development and utilize existing space at Gatestone. The long-term goal was to ensure the schools are operating within the Long-Term Facilities Master Plan Guiding Principles of an optimal utilization range of 90% to 110% to ensure equitable access to school facilities and programming. Click here to read the letter.

Advisory Panel Meeting

Public Meeting

An in-person meeting regarding the boundary review changes took place at Gatestone Elementary School on Tuesday, December 5.

Community voice is important at HWDSB. We encourage families to consider participating by offering feedback for Board consideration. For more information on the Boundary Review process, please refer to the letter sent on October 20, 2023.

If you require translation services and/or child-minding services so you can participate in the public meeting, please reach out to your school’s principal.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact [email protected].

Previous Boundary Reviews:

West Hamilton Secondary French Immersion Boundary Review

Purpose

On September 30, 2019, the Board of Trustees approved the following motion:

That the initiation of a secondary French Immersion (FI) boundary review between Westdale and Sherwood to align secondary boundaries with elementary FI boundaries for the 2020/2021 school year be approved. 

Advisory Panel Meeting

January 29, 2020
Presentation| Minutes

Public Meeting

February 6, 2020
Presentation | Minutes

Central Mountain Secondary Boundary Review

Purpose

As part of the 2019 Long Term Facilities Master Plan Schedule, a Secondary boundary review including Nora Frances Henderson, Sherwood and Sir Allan MacNab was approved by the Board of Trustees on April 15, 2019. This approval requires that staff initiate a Boundary Review to realign the elementary and secondary Central Mountain boundaries.

The schools involved in the boundary review include Pauline Johnson, Ridgemount, G.L. Armstrong, Franklin Road, and the three secondary schools.

Boundary Review Parent Letter

Advisory Panel Meeting

Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Boundary Review Advisory Panel Presentation | Activity | Minutes

Thursday, January 9, 2020
Presentation

Public Meeting

Thursday, January 9, 2020
Presentation | Minutes

Ancaster/Dundas/Flamborough French Immersion Boundary Review

Purpose

At the September 25, 2017, Board meeting, Trustees approved a recommendation to start a French Immersion boundary review for the following schools Ancaster Senior (Grade 7-8), Dundana (Grade 1-5), Fessenden (Grade 1-6), Sir William Osler (Grade 6-8), Sherwood (Grade 9-11), and Westdale (Grade 9-12).

The purpose of the French Immersion boundary review is to align the elementary and secondary French Immersion boundaries with their approved English boundaries for the 2018/2019 school year.

Public Meeting

Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Ancaster Senior Elementary School
295 Nakoma Road, Ancaster
6 p.m.

Public Meeting Presentation

Advisory Panel

Final Decision

At the December 18, 2017, Board of Trustee meeting, Trustees approved that the elementary and secondary French Immersion boundaries be approved for the 2018/2019 school year.

Ancaster High/Dundas Valley Secondary School Boundary Review

Purpose

At the October 30, 2017, Board meeting, Trustees approved a recommendation to start a boundary review for the following schools: Ancaster High School and Dundas Valley Secondary School.

The purpose of this boundary review is to align the secondary school boundaries with the already approved elementary boundaries for the 2018/2019 school year.

Public Meeting

Thursday, November 30, 2017
Dundas Valley Secondary School
310 Governor’s Road, Dundas
6 p.m.

Public Meeting Presentation | Minutes

Advisory Panel

Final Decision

At the January 29, 2018, Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees approved that the secondary English boundary between Ancaster High and Dundas Valley Secondary Schools be approved for the 2018/2019 school year, and that all Ancaster Senior Grade 8 students living within the boundary for Beverly Central community, may choose to attend either secondary school (Dundas Valley or Ancaster High), with transportation being provided. This shall apply to all Ancaster Senior Grade 8 students graduating in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

East Hamilton/Lower Stoney Creek French Immersion Boundary Review

Purpose

At the June 6, 2016, Board meeting, Trustees approved the final decision for both the East Hamilton City 2 and Lower Stoney Creek Accommodation Reviews. Part of this decision included relocating the French Immersion program at Glen Echo and Glen Brae and balancing enrolment between a new program to be located in East Hamilton upon consultation with stakeholders and a new program to be located in Lower Stoney Creek.

This approval requires new boundaries for the East Hamilton and lower Stoney Creek French Immersion schools. The schools involved in the boundary review include A.M. Cunningham, Eastdale, Glen Brae, Glen Echo, Hillcrest, Memorial (SC), and W.H. Ballard.

Public Meeting

Thursday, October 26, 2017
Glendale Secondary School
145 Rainbow Drive
6 p.m.

Public Meeting Presentation | Minutes

Advisory Panel

Student Transitions

Final Decision

At the February 26, 2018, Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees approved that existing French Immersion students living within the new East Hamilton and Lower Stoney Creek French Immersion catchments, continue attending Glen Echo and Glen Brae and relocate to the new area French Immersion schools as identified through the East Hamilton – Lower Stoney Creek French Immersion Boundary Review for September 2020.

Trustees also approved that students currently attending A.M. Cunningham will continue to move to Glen Brae for Grade 6 until June 2020.

Green Acres/Lake Avenue Boundary Review

Purpose

At the June 6, 2016, Board meeting, Trustees approved the final decision for both the East Hamilton City 2 and Lower Stoney Creek Accommodation Reviews. Part of this decision included that a boundary review be undertaken between Lake Avenue and Green Acres Schools upon Ministry of Education approval of the business cases submitted for both accommodation review areas.

Green Acres and Lake Ave. Boundary Review Parent Letter

Final Decision Letter

Public Meeting

Thursday, December 14, 2017
Lake Avenue Elementary School
157 Lake Avenue North, Hamilton
6 p.m.

Green Acres / Lake Avenue Boundary Review Public Meeting Flyer

Public Meeting Presentation | Minutes

Advisory Panel

Final Decision

At the January 29, 2018, Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees approved ammending the English JK-8 boundary for Green Acres (JK-8) and Lake Ave. (JK-8).

Summit Park Boundary Review

Purpose

At the June 12, 2017, Board meeting, Trustees approved the Accommodation Strategy Schedule. The Accommodation Strategy Schedule includes a boundary review to create a JK-8 boundary for the new school on the Summit Park site, located on the corner of Keystone Crescent and Bellagio Avenue south of Rymal Road East. The schools involved in the boundary review include Billy Green, Janet Lee, Tapleytown and the new school on the Summit Park site.

The goals of the boundary review are to:

  • Create a new K-8 boundary for the school on Summit Park site by modifying Billy Green, Janet Lee and Tapleytown boundaries.
  • Balance enrolment, reduce accommodation pressure, reduce reliance on temporary accommodation and improve walk-ability.

Parent Letter – March 6, 2018

Public Meeting

Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Billy Green Elementary School
1105 Paramount Drive, Stoney Creek
6 p.m.

Public Meeting Presentation | Minutes

Advisory Panel

Thursday, March 22, 2018
Advisory Panel Presentation | Minutes

Thursday, April 12, 2018
Advisory Panel Presentation | Minutes

Final Decision

At the May 28, 2018, Board of Trustee meeting, Trustees approved that that the JK-8 boundary for the new school in the Summit Park Neighbourhood be approved for the 2019/2020 school year.

Updated on Thursday, April 11, 2024.
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