At the September 23, 2025 Board Meeting, trustees approved the following motions related to the new South Guelph Secondary School boundary review.
1. That Boundary Option 11 be approved to take effect in the 2026/2027 school year as follows:
Westminster Woods Public School, Sir Isaac Brock Public School, and Rickson Ridge Public School be redirected from Centennial to the new high school;
The new school opens with grades 9 and 10 with approximately 470 students in 2026; and
No schools be redirected from either GCVI or John F. Ross CVI to Centennial CVI; and
2. That staff be directed to bring a report to the Finance and Facilities Committee on Guelph secondary school enrolment following the completion of all program reviews and further that staff be directed to not limit themselves only to options which follow the feeder school model.
We know that boundary reviews can be challenging and may raise concerns for families. Trustees carefully considered many options and, while this decision may not have been everyone’s first choice, Option 11 provides the board with an interim solution. This step was necessary because the new school is set to open in fall 2026, and important planning work must begin now.
Why this decision was made
Board Chair Ralf Mesenbrink explained, “Option 11 is an interim step that sets a boundary for the new south Guelph Secondary School, achieving the first of our two initial goals.” The recommendation is an interim step that has two portions – the first sets a boundary for the new school in 2026-27, ensuring we have students and a solid program in grades 9 and 10, using Option 11. The second part recognizes that the process is not yet complete, until the French Immersion Program Review is complete and a report provided.
Trustees emphasized that setting the boundary now provides much-needed clarity for students, families, and staff. As the Chair noted, “Students and families need to know where they are going, and staff need to start planning and implementing staffing of the school and other considerations.”
Public engagement and principles
The boundary review began in April 2024 with two main goals: to set boundaries for the new school and to balance enrolment across Guelph’s existing secondary schools. Trustees heard extensive public input through open houses, surveys, emails, and meetings. “Staff have done an excellent job,” the Chair said, “holding open houses, running multiple surveys, translating materials, and listening to the community. This is how we ended up with options beyond the original seven – by listening.”
Trustees also followed guiding principles, such as keeping associated elementary schools together, considering walkability to reduce busing and emissions, and ensuring the new school is built with room to expand as the south end of Guelph grows.
Next steps
This boundary decision is only the first part of the process. Trustees directed staff to first complete the board-wide French Immersion Program Review, expected to take 8–10 months. After that review, staff will bring forward further options for balancing enrolment at all Guelph secondary schools.
As the Chair said, “Our role as trustees, is to share concerns raised by the public, but ultimately to make decisions in the best interests of the Board as a whole. That is a difficult task, but one which we take seriously. We make decisions that not only impact this month or year, but that may have impacts for decades.”
A new high school in the Upper Grand
Opening a new high school is a major milestone for our community. The new South Guelph Secondary School will be the first new high school in Guelph in nearly 60 years, and the first time the UGDSB has expanded its number of secondary schools.
The Chair said, “This would honour the work of our current and former board members who championed this project for the last almost 10 years, Mayor and Council for work and cooperation in getting here, and the Ministry for funding the project, and our facilities, finance and planning staff for the excellent work in getting us here.”
We thank families, staff, and community members for their input and engagement throughout this process. More information about the French Immersion Program Review and next steps in the boundary review will be shared in the coming months.

New South Guelph Secondary School

Update on the Guelph Secondary School Boundary Review and next steps