Some Ottawa public schools have been forced to reorganize classes this fall due to lower-than-expected enrolment to start the school year. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) reports enrolment across all elementary and secondary schools is about one per cent lower-than-expected this fall. A spokesperson for the OCDSB says each fall, the board compares actual student enrolment to its spring projects so they can “adjust our classes to fit the number of students.” “Based on September enrolments, some schools closely match spring projections, while others have more or fewer students than expected,” the OCDSB said. “This means that some schools need to reorganize by either adding or removing classes. Our planning work has enabled us to make fewer adjustments with fewer disruptions than in previous years.” In April, the OCDSB was projecting 49,185 elementary school students and 25,949 secondary students enrolled in schools for the 2026-27 school year. The OCDSB is projecting a $3.5 million “transitional” deficit for the 2026-27 school year. A report on the 2026-27 draft operating and capital budgets, presented to the OCDSB’s audit committee in June, said enrolment pressures, “caused by demographic changes and other factors have created a new financial pressure over the prior year.” Staff said declining enrolment contributed to an $8.5 million loss in core education funding for the new school year. “The OCDSB has been experiencing a consistent decrease in the number of students attending its schools in recent years,” the report said. “Various reasons contribute to the decline, including lower birth rates and limits on immigration. Having fewer students reduces the financial resources available to the Board because the funding model heavily relies on Average Daily Enrolment (ADE) as a primary factor in determining the amount of provincial grants provided by Core Ed funding.” Staff said the board will look to increase enrolment for the 2026-27 school year “through direct parental outreach.” In July 2025, the Ontario government placed the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board under provincial supervision and appointed Robert Plamondon to oversee the board.
