Nova Scotia announces location of future Sydney Mines middle school

A new school will be located at the current site of Memorial High in Sydney Mines, N.S.

The Nova Scotia government announced the location of a new school set to be built in Sydney Mines Friday.

The new Northside middle school replaces Sydney Middle School and will have room for 260 students. It will be built next to Memorial High School, according to a news release from the province.

“With the site selected, our government has taken an important step towards building a new school for Sydney Mines,” said Public Works Minister Fred Tilley in the release. “The new Northside middle school will support the next generation of students in this community and a brighter future for our province.”

The province says site selection was based on community feedback and evaluations of land options.

“It’s great to see progress on this important capital project. Community input is so valuable when making decisions about new schools, and I appreciate each and every community member who took time during the site selection process to share their feedback,” said Brendan Maguire, minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, in the release.

The community will have further opportunities to provide input on the school in the design phase of the process as part of a steering team that will include parents and school staff.

“When it comes to the cost, we won’t know that until the RFPs (requests for proposals) come in and then the build begins. So, the team is working on that process right now - what the design will look like, what the build will look like, and we should have that information in the coming weeks. Very soon, because we want to get moving on this project,” said Tilley.

The province says 19 new or replacement schools are “currently advancing through the school capital process.” Three are scheduled to open in the 2025-26 school year.

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