Ground broken on new joint elementary school in Cambridge

A new school in Cambridge will unite both the public and Catholic school boards. CTV’s Heather Senoran explains.

The Waterloo Regional District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board are one step closer to a new joint elementary school.

An official groundbreaking ceremony was held at the future site of the new joint elementary schools at 605 Wesley Boulevard in Cambridge.

“Just very much like where we have situations right now that we have a public school and a Catholic school in the same neighborhood,” Scott Miller, WRDSB director of education, said. “It really is the same structure but in this case they’re under one building,”

The two schools may be under one roof, but they will each have their own principals.

“We don’t know what the bell schedule will look like right now,” Tyrone Dowling, WCDSB’s director of education, said. “We know from some other jurisdictions that it is just two schools under one building, but they are completely separate. Spaces may be shared, but they’re not going to be shared at the same time.”

When the building is complete, it will feature shared gymnasiums and library spaces as well as a child-care centre.

The school will offer seats for 519 WRDSB students and 354 WCDSB students in addition to 88 child-care spaces.

All told, the building will be 9,100 square feet and have 45 classrooms.

Operating separately means despite sharing a facility, the two sides will look different.

“The features that we have, the physical features of a Catholic school that we have in each of our sites are going to be maintained,” said Dowling.

Ontario’s Minister of Education was also on hand for the ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

“This is a really great partnership,” Minister Paul Calandra said.

For now, the construction site only features the bare bones of the eventual structure, but the school boards shared a rendering of what it is expected to look like when the work is completed.

The school’s design was inspired by the bridges that span the Grand River, symbolizing the connection between the two school boards.

“It’s completely funded through the province. We’re very fortunate. We’re very thankful,” Dowling said.

The project got a $40 million boost from the province but could also save money down the road.

“Thinking about just all the operations within a school like heating, cooling, our HVAC systems. Certainly, having it under one building creates a number of efficiencies,” said Miller.

“Just a great opportunity too. With the Cambridge Rec Centre that is going to be next door,” said Miller.

The school is expected to open in September 2026.