A piece of land has been chosen for a new kindergarten-to-Grade 12 school in Shediac.
"With the rapid population growth in our province in recent years, many schools in southeastern New Brunswick are either at or over capacity," said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Claire Johnson. "I am excited that a new school in the Shediac area will not only alleviate enrolment pressures in the short term, but will provide a modern facility that will serve kindergarten-to-Grade 12 students and the wider community for generations to come."
The new school will be built on the west side of Ohio Road, next to Route 15. It will replace Shediac Cape School, which was built in 1958 and renovated and expanded in 1997, and alleviate enrolment pressures at Moncton High School.
The facility - designed to accommodate 930 students - will include classrooms appropriate for the various grade levels, as well as music, visual arts and middle school technology rooms, a black box theatre with stage, computer and science labs, and vocational shops. A library, cafeteria and two gymnasiums will benefit the school community and the wider community outside of school hours.
"I'm happy that the site has been selected for the construction of this new school, which will be a welcome addition to the area," said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chiasson. "I look forward to working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to make sure the construction process proceeds without issue."
The budget for the project is $105 million, $25 million of which has been allocated in the 2025-26 fiscal year. Construction is scheduled to start this fall, with the school expected to open in January 2029.
"This is a proud and exciting milestone for the entire Anglophone East School District," said district superintendent and CEO Randolph MacLean. "This new K-12 school will be a vibrant hub of learning that reflects our unwavering commitment to the four pillars that guide our work: literacy, numeracy, safe and caring schools, and graduation. As our communities continue to grow, this modern, inclusive facility will help ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive - from their first day in kindergarten to the moment they cross the graduation stage."
Several factors are taken into consideration when choosing a site for a new school, including community amenities, community school use, catchment area, accessibility of the site, available utilities, transportation strategies, natural site conditions and site size.
