On December 20, Trustees approved that all new Kindergarten to Grade 8 families residing within the Summerside Public School attendance area attend John P. Robarts Public School starting January 1, 2023, until a new school can be built in southeast London.

The change will not affect current Summerside Public School students, or their younger siblings.

Thames Valley District School Board conducted a survey to ensure that there would be enough space to keep siblings together.

"Since opening in September 2022, Summerside Public School has experienced significant enrolment pressure due to rapid residential growth in the area," said Geoff Vogt, Superintendent of Facility Services and Capital Planning. "The school was designed for 553 students. With 12 portables on site, it currently accommodates 811 students, and enrolment is expected to keep growing."

The average time it takes to open a new school, once approved by the Ministry of Education and following land acquisition, is four years, said Vogt. He expects the number of portables at Summerside to stay the same for the foreseeable future.

Each year, Thames Valley will review Summerside Public School's enrolment to determine if there is space. This review will be completed by the end of the first week of September. If there are students living in the attendance area who want to attend the school, a random selection process will take place.

"My recommendation to new families would be to check our online tool, School Locator, prior to registering your child," said Vogt, "We update this tool every time an attendance area changes. When you enter your home address, it will show you what schools your child is designated to attend."

School Locator is available at https://www.tvdsb.ca/schoollocator.

Families with exceptional circumstances may apply to have their children attend school outside of their attendance area.

More details are available in TVDSB’s Attendance Area for Students Procedure.