Niagara’s school board is redrawing boundaries to ease overcrowding at an elementary school in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The District School Board of Niagara’s program and planning committee approved boundary change recommendations this week, with final approval by the board of trustees set for the Oct. 28 board meeting.
If approved, many St. Davids students will start at Crossroads in September 2026.
Crossroads Public School would absorb about 275 students by 2034 — some who currently attend St. Davids and some from future housing developments such as Modero Estates and Niagara-on-the-Green, “assuming all housing developments are realized,” said the board’s report, approved Monday night.
St. Davids — with five portables and a projected enrolment of 462, expected to climb to 519 within five years, in a building built for a capacity of 317 — would send some students to Crossroads, which is operating at about 75 per cent capacity.
The board said NOTL’s projected growth isn’t high enough to warrant a new elementary school, though rising enrolment in Welland and Thorold led to approval for three new schools there. Boundary changes remain a practical first step, it said.
Superintendent Darren Van Hooydonk took time at the meeting to acknowledge St. Davids and Crossroads parents’ concerns, raised after the agenda was posted earlier this month.
“We’ll make time for a successful transition later in the spring,” he told trustees, staff and visitors at the meeting.
He said he’s met with principals and council chairs from each school and will continue working with both.
“I’ll be attending school council meetings at both sites — St. Davids on Nov. 3, and Crossroads on Nov. 12,” he added.
The board is also planning May and June activities to help with adjusting and building new connections, including joint play days and an open house for parents, said Van Hooydonk.
Town chief administrative officer Nick Ruller and Couns. Adriana Vizzari, Maria Mavridis and Gary Burroughs attended the meeting.
Vizzari, a St. Davids resident with children at St. Davids, told The Lake Report that while the boundary change is a “positive step” and balancing enrolment will mean smaller class sizes, better use of facilities and a safer parking lot, the situation comes with “frustration.”
“Looking at the numbers in recent years, this situation should not have escalated to this point,” she said.
The board’s 2023-2032 long-term accommodation plan indicated that St. Davids Public School was over capacity in 2022.
The conversion of the St. Davids library into a classroom and the addition of a fifth portable — which required the removal of playground swings for one year, she said — “should be reviewed and clearly explained to residents,” she added.
Coun. Maria Mavridis called the approval “the right decision,” saying overcrowding at St. Davids Public School has been a concern for years and the change will bring “much-needed relief for students and staff.”
She said parents in St. Davids are relieved pressure on the school will ease, but many are emotionally tied to their community.
Meanwhile, at Crossroads, she added, “families understand the need for balance and are focused on ensuring a smooth transition for their children.”
The town doesn’t control school boundaries — it maintains a “healthy dialogue” with the board, she said. “Continued collaboration with the board will be essential to plan for the next generation of students.”
Mavridis said if changes are approved, new bus routes and traffic patterns would follow. She also credited Vizzari for leading open discussions and raising parent concerns.
Coun. Gary Burroughs said the adjustment “made logical sense” but that residents should have been more involved in the process.
“They’re moving all of Glendale to Crossroads,” he said. “I guess, it can take it right now — but the growth coming forward will be quite a bit.”
The meeting also approved boundary change recommendations for schools in other municipalities and the board’s 2026–2029 mental health and well-being strategy — focused on school culture, access to supports and system-wide responsiveness.
Trustee Shannon Mitchell questioned whether Crossroads could handle future enrolment from new housing, but staff said all proposed developments were included in projections and the boundary wouldn’t need to be reviewed again.
Trustee Kate Baggott praised the community for being “an absolute model of civil discourse on this issue.”
St. Davids principal Carl Glauser said his focus right now is “to support the students, staff and parent community with understanding the process and what is being proposed.”
