The rationale for closing Rideau is its low enrolment, which is due to the number of students in its catchment who transfer to schools offering French Immersion and more options for university-bound courses. District staff contend that redirecting the students from Rideau's catchment area to Gloucester will enable the School Board to provide students with the options they want in their new home school (Gloucester). My concern is that Gloucester HS faces many of the same challenges as Rideau does, that the Board does not have good success at addressing public perceptions of its schools and that combining Rideau and Gloucester will therefore not solve the problem of students transferring away from their home schools.
I will be arguing that Lisgar CI should also be at the table as, possibly, more of a community school for this area than Gloucester HS. Students in the Rockcliffe/New Edinburgh neighbourhoods already go to Lisgar and other areas of Rideau's catchment are as close or closer to Lisgar. Or should consideration be given to redirecting Rockcliffe/New Edinburgh students to Gloucester HS as well?
From Report 16-109, Student Learning And Accommodation Planning: Eastern Secondary Area Review (Phase One): Initial Report page 35
"Rideau HS attracts less than 40% of OCDSB students in the catchment and less than 20% of the high school-aged population."
If the OCDSB could address this issue Rideau HS would be over capacity.
