New School for Pictou County
Students in Trenton will attend a new school for pre-primary to Grade 8 thanks to provincial funding.
The Province is investing in a new school to replace Trenton Elementary and Trenton Middle School.
“This new school is great for students, staff and the community,” said Pat Dunn, Minister of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage and MLA for Pictou Centre, on behalf of Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “Not only will it address aging infrastructure and population growth, it will ensure the school remains a vibrant hub, bringing together the entire community.”
The new school, under the Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education, will serve about 280 students from pre-primary to Grade 8. It is part of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s five-year capital plan.
There will be community consultation on the consolidation of the two schools before the site selection process begins. The site selection process is outlined in the Governor in Council Education Act Regulations, which say existing school sites are considered first.
The Department of Public Works will issue a tender for the design of the replacement school once the site selection process has been completed and approved by the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. And there will be community input into design elements of the new school.
Trenton Elementary was built in 1966 and has about 152 students in pre-primary to Grade 4, while Trenton Middle School – built in 1925 with additions in 1953, 1967 and 1985 – has about 136 students in grades 5 through 8.
The new school is expected to open in September 2027.
Nova Scotia’s new five-year school capital plan invests nearly $1 billion in building new schools and improving or expanding current schools. That includes about $263 million for four new replacement schools, including the one in Trenton and previously announced schools in New Germany and Porters Lake.
Quotes:
“The announcement of a new school coming to Trenton is so exciting for our students and I am sure as equally exciting for the community as a whole. It will be very nice to have a facility to match the students’ enthusiasm for learning. Presently, we enjoy seeing the smiles on their faces every day so I can only imagine how big and bright those smiles would be in a new school. I am so happy; my bucket is full!”
– Mark Fortune, Principal, Trenton Elementary School
“A school is the heart of the community and education is our best investment. Our children in Trenton are entitled to and deserve a quality education like every other child in Nova Scotia. An education in a new positive learning environment will be the foundation for a better future for the children today and generations to come. We are excited for the children of Trenton and the community as a whole.”
– Alison Ellsworth Cameron, member, School Advisory Council, Trenton Elementary School
Quick Facts:
- the Province is investing $948 million over multiple years in the school capital plan; $240.8 million was announced in March and $707.2 million is new funding
- it addresses immediate enrolment needs by investing $120 million in modular classrooms for existing schools and includes $54 million for capital repairs and $511 million to complete previously announced school projects
Additional Resources:
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development: https://beta.novascotia.ca/government/education-and-early-childhood-development
News Release – New school Capital Plan Addresses Growth, Invests in New and Existing Schools Across Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230616006
Nova Scotia School Capital Plan: https://www.ednet.ns.ca/capitalplan
Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education: https://www.ccrce.ca/