Ontario's first-ever school inside a condo building is coming to Toronto
Ontario’s first-ever elementary school inside a high-density condo building is being built in Toronto, the provincial government announced on Friday.
The new Lower Yonge Precinct Elementary School will occupy the podium inside a mixed-use condo building going up near the intersection of Yonge and Harbour streets. It’s slated to accommodate 455 students and is expected to be complete for the 2024-2025 school year.
“With many families living in condos and high-density urban communities, we believe their children deserve access to modern and safe schools in the hearts of their communities,” said Minister of Education Stephen Lecce. “I am proud to deliver this progressive urban school within a high-density condominium project. This innovative partnership will provide access for young families to a state-of-the-art school in the heart of Toronto.”
Although the school-condo combo is a new addition to the Toronto scene, it’s a model that’s been used in other major cities around the world. In New York City, and particularly Manhattan, schools occupying multiple floors inside condo buildings are fairly common.
The Ontario government says that once the new school is complete, it can be “replicated as an innovative solution to meeting the education needs of working families in urban and high-density environments.”
“The new Lower Yonge Precinct Elementary School will be a great new addition to our city and will provide much-needed space for students,” said Mayor John Tory. “We know that in a growing city like Toronto, we need unique and creative approaches to creating important public spaces like schools.
We are building a new elementary school in a high-density condo community – the first-of-its-kind in Ontario.
An innovative strategy for #BuildingSchools, with @KingaSurmaMPP. pic.twitter.com/YvlEKKRZ8P
— Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) January 21, 2022
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The school comes as part of a province-wide investment of more than $600 million to support new schools and childcare spaces. The new Lower Yonge Precinct Elementary School, built in collaboration with Menkes Developments, is using $44 million of that investment.