Bluewater District School Board
School board in Chesley, Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bluewater District School Board (known as English-language Public District School Board No. 7 prior to 1999[1]) is a school board in the Canadian province of Ontario, with jurisdiction for the operation of schools in Bruce and Grey Counties.
9 secondary schools
| Bluewater District School Board | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Canada | |
| Coordinates | 44°18′36″N 81°05′52″W |
| District information | |
| Chair of the board | Jane Thomson |
| Director of education | AJ Keene |
| Schools | 41 elementary schools 9 secondary schools |
| Budget | CA$299,099,413 million (2025-2026) |
| Other information | |
| Elected trustees |
|
| Website | www |
Its head office is located in Chesley, in the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie of Bruce County.
Bluewater District School Board has approximately 18,900 students in 41 elementary schools and nine secondary schools. BWDSB has approximately 3,700 permanent and casual staff, including teachers. There are nine elected trustees on the board and one appointed First Nations trustee.
Early years of education in Bruce and Grey
Bruce County
The county's first school was established in Kincardine in 1851,[2] followed by Southampton and Walkerton in 1852.[3] At that time, the United Counties of Huron and Bruce comprised one school district,[3] but Bruce County would receive its own superintendent in 1853,[3] and the county itself would be divided into three school districts in 1855:
| District | Townships |
|---|---|
| Western | Huron, Kincardine, Bruce and Kinloss |
| Northern | Saugeen, Arran and Elderslie |
| Eastern | Brant, Carrick, Culross and Greenock |
The first grammar school would be established at Kincardine in 1860, followed by others in Walkerton (1872), Wiarton (1892) and Chesley (1904).[4] Model schools would be formed in 1877 for the training of teachers, at Kincardine and Walkerton.[5]
In the 50 years to 1901, the network of schools had grown to the following size:
| Type of school | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Public schools | 246 | 12,614 |
| High schools | 4 | 480 |
| Model schools | 2 | 38 |
| Separate schools | 8 | 735 |
| Totals | 260 | 13,867 |
Grey County
After an initial division into three school districts in November 1854,[7] Grey County was reorganized into four districts two years later:
| District | Townships |
|---|---|
| 1 | Derby, Sydenham, Holland and Sullivan |
| 2 | Bentinck, Egremont, Glenelg and Normanby |
| 3 | St Vincent, Euphrasia and Collingwood |
| 4 | Artemisia, Osprey, Melancthon and Proton |
Owen Sound established its first primary school in the early 1840s, and its grammar school in 1856.[9]
Schools in 1960
The Ontario Department of Education reported in 1960 that the school network in Bruce and Grey consisted of the following:
| Type of school | Bruce County | Grey County | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schools | Teachers | Students | Schools | Teachers | Students | |
| Public schools[10] | 149 | 231 | 6,350 | 214 | 388 | 10,379 |
| High schools (rural)[11] | 9 | 93 | 2,198 | 7 | 76 | 1,801 |
| High schools (city)[12] | – | – | – | 2 | 64 | 1,471 |
| Separate schools[13] | 15 | 35 | 1,455 | 8 | 21 | 658 |
| Totals | 173 | 359 | 10,003 | 231 | 549 | 14,309 |
County and district reorganizations (1969 and 1999)
The Bruce County Board of Education and the Grey County Board of Education were constituted at the beginning of 1969, as a result of legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1968.[14]
As part of the province-wide restructuring of Ontario's school boards as a consequence of the passage of the Fewer School Boards Act, 1997,[15] the "English-language Public District School Board No. 7" was created to take over the schools of the former county boards.[16] It was merged with the former boards at the beginning of 1998, and was renamed as the "Bluewater District School Board" in 1999.[17]
Athletics of the Bluewater District School Board
Sports at the secondary level are played through the Bluewater Athletics Association.[18] They are offered at high schools in the BWDSB and the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board. The winning team (BAA Champions) will go onto a CWOSSA Tournament. The following sports are played through BAA:
- Volleyball
- Football
- Gymnastics
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Soccer
- Badminton
- Wrestling
- Rugby
- Swim Team
- Cross Country
- Curling
- Hockey
- Golf
- Nordic Skiing
- Track and Field
Student Senate
From each high school in the BWDSB, a representative or student senator goes to monthly meetings at the school board office in Chesley, Ontario and brings ideas and suggestions from their school. They are a part of the Student Senate.
In May 2012, the Student Senate held their first conference, "SOS (Support Our Students) - Voices and Choices" in Owen Sound, Ontario with a focus on student mental health. A sequel titled, "Rumour Has It", followed in May 2013.
Organization of schools
| School area | Community,[a 1] senior[a 2] and secondary[a 3] schools | Primary schools |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
| |
| 2 |
|
|
| 3 |
|
|
| 4 |
|
Fraser Institute rankings
The 2020 Fraser Institute report on comparative secondary school rankings in Ontario gives the following data for Bluewater:
| Name | Area | Enrollment | 1-year ranking of 709 | 5-year ranking of 630 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Peninsula | 1 | 80 | 605 | n/a |
| Georgian Bay | 3 | 310 | 595 | 336 |
| Grey Highlands | 1 | 610 | 587 | 544 |
| John Diefenbaker | 3 | 620 | 420 | 373 |
| Kincardine | 4 | 510 | 614 | 402 |
| Owen Sound | 2 | 1,190 | 72 | 177 |
| Peninsula Shores | 1 | 155 | 495 | 377 |
| Saugeen | 3 | 600 | 72 | 159 |
| Walkerton | 4 | 395 | 503 | 488 |
Further reading
- Robertson, Norman (1906). The History of the County of Bruce, and of the minor municipalities therein. Toronto: William Briggs.
- Marsh, Edith Louise (1931). A History of the County of Grey. Owen Sound: Fleming Publishing Company, Ltd.
- Ontario Department of Education, Report of the Minister, 1960. Toronto: Department of Education. 1960.