Bell to ring this fall at new French middle school in St. B

Manitoba’s francophone school division is opening a new middle school in St. Boniface this fall.

The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine announced Monday its 26th school will operate out of 261 Youville St. in September.

The site, which will have capacity for 375 students, was previously home to Springs Christian Academy.

“This school will respond to an urgent need for space on one level, but also, I think, just as important is that we’re bringing together Grade 7 and 8 students,” Bernard Lesage, chair of the division’s board of trustees, told an afternoon news conference in French.

Speaking to a crowd at École Précieux-Sang, Lesage said the setup will allow students to meet new friends and better prepare them for the transition to high school.

The changes will spark a series of programming adjustments across french division schools in Winnipeg.

École Précieux-Sang and École Voix des Prairies will become kindergarten-to-Grade 6 buildings, starting in 2026-27.

While École Taché will remain a K-6 site, its graduates will attend the new middle school. Collège Louis-Riel, a Grade 7-12 school, will only offer Grade 9-12 courses next year.

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt touted the acquisition of the independent school as a quick and cost-effective plan to address growing demand for French education.

“The Franco-Manitoban community is playing catch up. The DSFM is the youngest of all divisions,” Schmidt said in an interview Monday.

Superintendent Alain Laberge said the division, which was established in 1994, is projecting enrolment to be 6,600 next year.

“It would be larger if we had more schools and French daycares,” Laberge said, noting there are 140 children on the waiting list for child care at Précieux-Sang.

The division opened a new K-8 building in September to serve students in Sage Creek and surrounding communities.

Budget 2025 included $20 million to begin construction on four K-8 buildings.

These sites are being built in Transcona’s Devonshire Park, Prairie Pointe in Waverley West, Meadowlands in north Winnipeg and southwestern Brandon.

All of them are English schools, although the province has announced it is planning to build a new French school in Brandon.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca