Enrolment sky high as Halifax students return to school
HALIFAX, N.S. — Thursday is the first day of school for most kids, and enrolment in Halifax schools continues its escalation.
Around 58,000 students are returning to class this week in 137 schools in Halifax Regional Municipality — that’s up by more than 1,800.
“We are welcoming new students every day,” said Lindsey Bunin, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education. “We are basically getting new registrations every day . . . that growth doesn’t seem to be slowing at all.”
While most are starting Thursday, students at two brand new schools in Bedford will start on Friday. New schools are typically given an extra day for staff to set up, Bunin said.
West Bedford School and West Bedford High School are in the mix this year.
Many schools are bursting at the seams — HRCE is using 68 portable and 141 modular classrooms this year.
“The highest number would be in the Charles P. Allen family of schools in Bedford, as well we have a handful in the Halifax West family of schools,” Bunin said. “They’re pretty much in all our families of schools.”
HRCE has also had to hire a lot more staff. Bunin said she didn’t have exact numbers for this year, but with enrolment increasing by 8,000 in the past five years, they are always hiring.
