The former Catholic Central High School building on Tecumseh Road East will soon be a permanent home for adults who want to upgrade their skills and earn their high school diplomas.

The WECDSB was recently granted permission from the Ontario Ministry of Education to relocate St. Michael’s Adult Catholic High School from its current location on Detroit Street in Windsor’s west end to the former high school beginning in September. Trustees approved a recommendation to relocate the school at their regular public meeting this evening.

With the recent influx of newcomers to Canada – many of whom need to earn their high school diploma to find employment or post-secondary opportunities here – the board had been utilizing the former high school for several months as an overflow site to accommodate increased enrolment at the Detroit Street site.

“We’re certainly very grateful that we received permission to utilize the former Catholic Central building,” said Director of Education Emelda Byrne. “The current St. Michael’s site is a former elementary school and simply can’t accommodate all of the adult learners we’ve been accepting over the last several years. The Tecumseh Road building is much larger and has room for program expansion if necessary.”

Current enrolment at St. Michael’s is about 1,000 students, however due to the flexible timetabling options the school provides, not all of them are in the building at the same time. The former Catholic Central High School can accommodate approximately 850 students.

The board has budgeted $80,000 for renovations to the Tecumseh Road site. No decision has been made yet on what to do with the Detroit Street school, which was once home to St. Francis Catholic Elementary School.

The former Catholic Central High School was closed earlier this year when students and staff moved to their brand new building on McDougall Street, which opened on January 10, 2023.