Last month, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPR)hosted two public meetings to discuss the new elementary school which has been approved for construction in Millbrook.
The first meeting on November 4th discussed details about the classroom layout, finishing materials and aesthetic features in the proposed new build. KPR staff have been working with the developer to acquire the site with this expected to be completed next spring. In the meantime, staff have been working behind the scenes, selecting the most appropriate elementary school design template which will help expedite the project and contain costs. The selected model is similar to the Northglen Orchard Public School in Bowmanville, with modifications reflecting site conditions and community needs. What is clear is that the school will accommodate 481 elementary students and have a four-room child care centre with 73 licensed spaces. The building is expected to open in September 2027.
The second meeting drew more interest as it addressed proposals about which grades would be housed in the new building and where the school boundaries might be drawn. In their presentation, board representatives explained that their primary objective was to create balanced, long-term enrollment sustainability for all three schools, looking for ways the new school can address current and projected enrolment pressures in all three schools.
The presentation outlined two grade structures and two boundary adjustment models they had prepared. There were two grade distribution models. In one, all three schools were home to students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6. In the second model, both Mill-brook schools would house JK to Grade 8 students. The two boundary changes options switched some students from North Cavan to the Highlands school. This was the piece of information that seemed to draw the majority of the audience members who by their reactions were families currently served by North Cavan Public School. Many comments from the audience were seeking an explanation for moving some North Cavan students out of their home school and into the new one. This issue is particularly relevant to those who fought successfully to keep North Cavan students in the Crestwood family of schools so they could complete their intermediate and high school studies in the community.
All of four proposals would result in two separate schools for elementary students within1.5 km in Millbrook. Mayor Graham and Councilor Nachoff expressed concern about how this would impact the culture of the community, which has worked hard to integrate many new residents who have relocated into new developments from more urban communities. All of the board proposals would effectively segregate res-idents in the new development from those in older communities. Mayor Graham reminded the board that during his elementary school years there were two school buildings; one for JK to Grade 3 in what is now the municipal office and the second one, “down the hill” for Grades 4 to 8. This consistent school experience for all public school youngsters helped create a strong, unified student body which naturally filtered into the community as a whole.
Those who did not attend can still provide feedback until December 21st on the board’s proposals through an online portal on the KPR website Feedback will be collected through in-person and online engagement opportunities. Staff will review and summarize community feedback in a second report in February to the board of Trustees, where concepts will be refined and will respond to community feedback. The community will have a second opportunity to weigh in on this report in Millbrook on February 26, 2026. A final report with recommendations will be presented to the board in June, when the final decision will be made by the Board of Trustees.
On another note, the school is currently called the Highlands of Millbrook but this is a temporary name only. There will be a process to select a name beginning in the New Year, where the community can weigh in and make suggestions that reflect the history and legacy of education in our community.
To submit comments, visitwww.kprschools.ca/newMillbrookschool.