The Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board has voted to permanently close 17 schools in the district over the next five years.

The following schools will close in September:

  • Bridgeport School
  • East Bay School
  • Gowrie Memorial School
  • MacDonald Elementary School
  • MacLennan Middle School
  • Mira Road Elementary School
  • Mount Carmel Elementary School
  • St. Agnes Elementary School
  • St. Joseph Elementary School
  • Sydney Mines Middle School
  • Thompson Middle School

Closing in September 2017:

  • Florence Elementary School

Closing in September 2020:

  • Harbourside Elementary School
  • Sherwood Park Middle School

Closing in September 2021:

  • Seton Elementary School
  • Tompkins Memorial Elementary School

A timeline is still to be determined for George D. Lewis School.

The board’s chair says it was a difficult decision, but necessary to maintain programming and respond to declining enrolment.

"We've lost the equivalent of a school a year in terms of enrollment," said board chair Lorne Greene.

In addition to the closures, the board is also requesting the province build a new elementary and new middle school.