WECDSB seeing rise in enrollment for 2025-2026 school year

The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board main office in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday, Aug, 4, 2020. (Chris Campbell / CTV Windsor)

The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board is prepared to kick off the 2025-2026 school year.

The board is reporting an extremely high enrollment rate for both elementary and secondary schools.

As of the end of August, there are nearly 15,000 elementary students enrolled and 8,500 secondary students enrolled.

There are also 1,000 adults attending St. Michael’s Adult Catholic High School.

As a result of these high enrollment numbers, the WECDSB has hired 39 full-time elementary teachers and 27 full-time secondary teachers.

Emelda Byrne, Director of Education with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, says they’re very excited about this year’s enrollment numbers.

“Elementary we have almost 15,000 students coming to our schools - we haven’t seen that number in years. Secondary we have 8,500 students, so another 1,000 adults going to our St. Mike’s program. So a total of 24,500 students and we’re very excited about that.”

She says there are some new programs running this year.

“We have our St. Anne’s Skilled Trades Learning Centre out in Tecumseh with masonry, construction, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and welding. And now we’ve expanded out the county where we’re opening up the former Queen of Peace site - just one wing - and we’re going to be starting with hairstyling and aesthetics out in Leamington, and then plumbing second semester.”

Byrne says they’ve had to make improvements to accommodate the growth.

“We have six new portables at Assumption High School, so again, Windsor’s west end we’re seeing that growth in enrolment which is huge. East Riverside, another portable for St. John Vianney, so looking at interior renovations, washrooms.”

The 2025-2026 school year officially begins on Sept. 2.

The Catholic board saw approximately 23,700 students for the 2024-2025 school year.

- By AM800’s Meagan Delaurier