The Ottawa Catholic School Board plans to buy dozens of new portables over the summer to deal with increased enrolment. A report for trustees shows the board will need 50 portables at 20 schools next school year, with 12 portables relocated from other schools and 38 portables purchased from suppliers. “As a result of continued growth in student enrolment, we are experiencing a commensurate increase in the need for temporary accommodations,” staff say in the report for Tuesday’s board meeting. “In areas where residential development is generating a requirement for new schools and additional instructional space, portable classrooms are needed until that infrastructure can be built.” Mother Teresa High School and St. Bernadette Elementary School will each require six new portables next school year, while St. Mark High School, St. Veronica and St. Juan Diego will each get three portables. Staff say the four portables at St. Mark High School will replace the existing porta-pak on site because it is “prohibitive to repair.” The Ottawa Catholic School Board needed 49 new portables for the 2024-25 school year and 39 portables for the 2023-24 school year. “These figures are high in comparison to historical annual portable needs, and reflect the significant enrolment growth we have experienced in recent years,” staff said. The Ottawa Catholic School Board is projecting enrolment to increase four per cent for the 2025-26 school year to 53,000 students in September. Enrolment at Mother Teresa High School is expected to increase six per cent next school year, while enrolment will increase 22 per cent at St. Bernadette to 702 students. The school board will finalize its 2025-26 school year budget later this spring.
