Nova Scotia's five-year school capital plan is ensuring all students have modern learning spaces that will help them prepare for future opportunities.
The new Breton Education Centre in New Waterford opened in 2024. (Education and Early Childhood Development)
The updated multi-year plan now includes planning for 19 new or replacement schools. Three will open in the 2025-26 school year. Added to the plan are two new schools to be built in high-growth areas of Dartmouth and Bedford. The updated plan also includes continued funding for maintaining schools and adding modular classrooms.
"Keeping ahead of growth in our communities is critical for the well-being of Nova Scotia's students and families," said Brendan Maguire, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. "These investments support future students and help build communities that families want to call home."
The school capital plan is investing more than $1 billion over multiple years in building and maintaining schools. Two of the schools opening next year - École sur la péninsule d'Halifax and St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay Elementary School - are in Halifax and École Baie Sainte-Marie will serve French first-language students in Clare.
Quick Facts:
- in 2025-26, the Province is investing $210 million in building and maintaining schools, including $40 million to be invested in new modular classrooms and $30 million in capital repairs
- 12 of the 19 new schools are in Halifax Regional Municipality and three are Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) schools that support French first-language learning
- under the updated plan, CSAP school École des Beaux-Marais in Chezzetcook will now be a pre-primary to Grade 12 school, instead of pre-primary to Grade 8
- five new schools opened in 2024-25: Breton Education Centre in New Waterford, Springhill Elementary School in Springhill, École Wedgeport in Wedgeport, École Belle-Baie in Torbay and Eastern Shore Consolidated School in East Chezzetcook
Additional Resources:
- Nova Scotia School Capital Plan: https://www.ednet.ns.ca/capitalplan
- Nova Scotia directory of public schools: https://ns-schools.ednet.ns.ca/
