The Government of Yukon is advancing plans for a new school in downtown Whitehorse.
As part of the Government of Yukon's work to modernize educational facilities across the territory, École Whitehorse Elementary is being relocated to the Takhini Land Reserve, where a new modern facility can be built to support French-language learners. The new facility will provide students with an upgraded learning environment, while ensuring continued access to quality education.
As part of this work, the Government of Yukon has heard from downtown Whitehorse residents about the importance of having a school in their neighbourhood. Building off findings from the October 2023 report, What We Heard: Whitehorse Schools Capital Planning Public Engagement, the Department of Education has been meeting with the City of Whitehorse, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Ta'an Kwäch'än Council and downtown commercial property owners to discuss potential opportunities for a new school in downtown Whitehorse.
Additional engagement is planned with the downtown residents' association, school councils in Riverdale and downtown, school boards and education stakeholders to gather information to evaluate educational, spatial and community needs for a potential new school.
The Government of Yukon believes that downtown residents need to be involved in shaping the future of downtown. For this reason, the Government of Yukon has allocated $50,000 in Budget 2025-26 - subject to legislative approval - for the first round of public engagement about a school in downtown Whitehorse, starting in late spring 2025.
This engagement will focus on understanding the community's educational needs, identifying potential locations and sharing key findings from stakeholder meetings and demographic trends.
Our government looks forward to working with the community to explore opportunities for a new downtown school. Education plays a key role in vibrant, healthy communities, which is why building a new school in downtown Whitehorse is essential to expanding opportunities for current and future generations of Yukoners. We look forward to hearing from downtown residents so we can work together to set up young people for success.
Minister of Education Jeanie McLean
Quick facts
- Currently, there are four schools located in downtown Whitehorse: École Whitehorse Elementary School, the Wood Street Centre, the Individual Learning Centre and Aurora Virtual School. There are also several childcare facilities located in downtown Whitehorse.
- The new École Whitehorse Elementary School will be built at the northwest corner of the Takhini Educational Land Reserve.
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