Video · Waterloo · Lexington Public School

Approved in 2010.Still not built.

In 2010 our board approved a 13-classroom addition for Lexington Public School in Waterloo. The province never funded it. In 2024–25 the school had 355 students and permanent places for 113, the highest rate in the board.

Read the written version Read the full report

Brian Best · Posted September 19, 2026 · 1:45 · Instagram · TikTok

The written version

The board said yes. The province said no.

What I said outside Lexington, in writing, with a source for every number. The charts below show it.

Lexington Public School is in our ward, on Forestlawn Road in Waterloo. In 2024–⁠25 it had 355 students.^⁠[1] Its permanent building has places for 113.^⁠[2] That’s about 314% of its permanent capacity, the highest rate in our public board.

Permanent capacity doesn’t count portables or portapaks.^⁠[2] Lexington’s students do have classrooms, and published class sizes averaged 23.6 in 2024–⁠25.^⁠[7] But most of them depend on space the board itself calls temporary: “a 12-room portapak,” and a gymnasium structure that “is not permanent.”^⁠[2]

On the latest province-wide data, from 2020–⁠21, Lexington ranked eighth of 4,790 Ontario schools on students against permanent capacity.^⁠[3] In our own board, nothing is close. Of the 120 schools with a published capacity, the next highest is at 150%.^⁠[1]^⁠[2]

A board can plan an addition. It can’t pay for one. Queen’s Park funds school construction and sets the requirements a project has to meet.^⁠[12] In 2010 our board approved a 13-classroom addition for Lexington, to open in September 2012 if the province funded it.^⁠[4]^⁠[5] In January 2013 the province announced its funding, and the addition wasn’t on the list. A separate three-room kindergarten addition went ahead.^⁠[5] The 13 classrooms never did.

Children in senior kindergarten at Lexington in 2013–⁠14, the first year of the full-day kindergarten program those new rooms were built for, finished Grade 12 this past June.^⁠[5]

For the last four funding rounds, the question never reached the province. Each time, board staff screened a Lexington rebuild out before submission with the same line: “Does not meet criteria; ineligible project.”^⁠[9]^⁠[10]^⁠[11]^⁠[12] Other rows on those lists give a reason, like “premature due to timing.” Lexington’s row, like a few others, never says which requirement it fails.^⁠[12]

I can’t fund a school. No trustee can. A trustee can move motions, ask for reports and vote in public. I’d move for a public decision on submitting Lexington in the next round, with a report on what it needs to qualify. I’d move to publish every capital request, every screening reason and every vote. Parents deserve to see what we’re asking for and what’s standing in the way.

Make no mistake: Queen’s Park needs to step up here.

So far ahead

One school, out on its own.

“It’s ridiculous to see this on a chart,” I said in the video. This is the chart: every school in our board with a published capacity.

120 schools. One is not like the others.

Each square is one school, placed by its 2024–25 students as a share of its permanent places. 119 schools fall between 53% and 150%. Lexington is at 314%, more than double the next school.

A school in the board
Lexington PS

Source: Ontario Ministry of Education enrolment, October 31, 2024 headcount,^⁠[1] over on-the-ground capacity in the board’s 2020–2030 plan, which excludes portables and portapaks.^⁠[2] 75 of the other schools are at or under 100%. Oak Creek PS and Willow River PS have no published capacity and are left out. Laurelwood PS includes its recent addition.

Show all 120 schools as a table

WRDSB schools by students as a share of permanent places, 2024–25
School	City	Students	Permanent places	Share
Lexington PS	Waterloo	355	113	314%
Lackner Woods PS	Kitchener	620	412	150%
Westheights PS	Kitchener	480	320	150%
Chalmers Street PS	Cambridge	385	257	150%
Blair Road PS	Cambridge	405	271	149%
Groh PS	Kitchener	885	597	148%
Winston Churchill PS	Waterloo	320	216	148%
Centennial (Waterloo) PS	Waterloo	415	294	141%
Pioneer Park PS	Kitchener	410	294	139%
Parkway PS	Cambridge	350	251	139%
Elmira DSS	Elmira	1,305	975	134%
Doon PS	Kitchener	435	331	131%
Grandview PS	New Hamburg	230	179	128%
Laurelwood PS	Waterloo	705	550	128%
Chicopee Hills PS	Kitchener	795	623	128%
Country Hills PS	Kitchener	390	309	126%
Waterloo-Oxford DSS	Baden	1,460	1,164	125%
Keatsway PS	Waterloo	365	294	124%
MacGregor PS	Waterloo	510	414	123%
Waterloo CI	Waterloo	1,480	1,203	123%
Clemens Mill PS	Cambridge	640	527	121%
Forest Heights CI	Kitchener	1,555	1,281	121%
Forest Glen PS	New Hamburg	540	446	121%
Vista Hills PS	Waterloo	775	643	121%
Huron Heights SS	Kitchener	1,455	1,224	119%
Elizabeth Ziegler PS	Waterloo	510	437	117%
Ayr PS	Ayr	205	179	115%
Laurel Heights SS	Waterloo	1,765	1,548	114%
Kitchener Waterloo C & VS	Kitchener	1,650	1,461	113%
John Mahood PS	Elmira	430	381	113%
Grand River CI	Kitchener	1,560	1,383	113%
Empire PS	Waterloo	490	441	111%
Cameron Heights CI	Kitchener	1,765	1,596	111%
Brigadoon PS	Kitchener	545	495	110%
Moffat Creek PS	Cambridge	705	642	110%
Janet Metcalfe PS	Kitchener	720	657	110%
King Edward PS	Kitchener	380	352	108%
Silverheights PS	Cambridge	685	637	108%
Cedar Creek PS	Ayr	565	527	107%
Avenue Road PS	Cambridge	495	464	107%
Mackenzie King PS	Kitchener	380	363	105%
Preston PS	Cambridge	315	303	104%
Driftwood Park PS	Kitchener	365	352	104%
Eastwood CI	Kitchener	1,270	1,230	103%
Wilson Avenue PS	Kitchener	515	510	101%
Stewart Avenue PS	Cambridge	510	513	99%
Elgin Street PS	Cambridge	420	430	98%
Westmount PS	Kitchener	480	493	97%
Westvale PS	Waterloo	390	401	97%
Alpine PS	Kitchener	285	294	97%
Lincoln Heights PS	Waterloo	450	467	96%
Hespeler PS	Cambridge	650	675	96%
Tait Street PS	Cambridge	465	507	92%
Highland PS	Cambridge	425	464	92%
Suddaby PS	Kitchener	505	552	91%
Lester B. Pearson PS	Waterloo	595	654	91%
Jean Steckle PS	Kitchener	650	715	91%
Sandhills PS	Kitchener	615	678	91%
Glencairn PS	Kitchener	295	332	89%
Wellesley PS	Wellesley	630	714	88%
J F Carmichael PS	Kitchener	485	552	88%
Sir Adam Beck PS	Baden	495	565	88%
Hillcrest PS	Cambridge	370	426	87%
Franklin PS	Kitchener	550	634	87%
Breslau PS	Breslau	490	565	87%
Mary Johnston PS	Waterloo	375	433	87%
Saginaw PS	Cambridge	395	458	86%
St Jacobs PS	St Jacobs	275	320	86%
Queensmount PS	Kitchener	370	432	86%
Laurentian PS	Kitchener	360	421	86%
Sheppard PS	Kitchener	365	433	84%
N A MacEachern PS	Waterloo	260	309	84%
Central PS	Cambridge	255	308	83%
Meadowlane PS	Kitchener	235	285	82%
W.T. Townshend PS	Kitchener	625	758	82%
Jacob Hespeler SS	Cambridge	1,070	1,299	82%
Galt C & VI	Cambridge	960	1,167	82%
Trillium PS	Kitchener	215	262	82%
Glenview Park SS	Cambridge	1,055	1,287	82%
Williamsburg PS	Kitchener	630	770	82%
William G Davis PS	Cambridge	370	455	81%
Abraham Erb PS	Waterloo	395	487	81%
Riverside PS	Elmira	450	557	81%
Bluevale CI	Waterloo	1,115	1,389	80%
Edna Staebler PS	Waterloo	575	720	80%
Manchester PS	Cambridge	340	426	80%
Stanley Park PS	Kitchener	370	464	80%
Courtland Avenue PS	Kitchener	270	340	79%
Park Manor PS	Elmira	215	271	79%
Crestview PS	Kitchener	415	525	79%
St Andrew's PS	Cambridge	335	424	79%
Conestogo PS	Conestogo	205	262	78%
J W Gerth PS	Kitchener	455	582	78%
Woodland Park PS	Cambridge	370	479	77%
Southwood SS	Cambridge	700	912	77%
Southridge PS	Kitchener	395	518	76%
Coronation PS	Cambridge	325	432	75%
Baden PS	Baden	455	605	75%
Preston HS	Cambridge	855	1,137	75%
Rockway PS	Kitchener	220	294	75%
Blue Heron PS	Cambridge	400	536	75%
Queen Elizabeth PS	Kitchener	265	358	74%
Centennial (Cambridge) PS	Cambridge	215	294	73%
New Dundee PS	New Dundee	165	228	72%
Forest Hill PS	Kitchener	405	560	72%
Smithson PS	Kitchener	270	376	72%
Grand View PS	Cambridge	250	349	72%
Linwood PS	Linwood	360	528	68%
Sunnyside PS	Kitchener	310	455	68%
Northlake Woods PS	Waterloo	340	510	67%
Margaret Avenue PS	Kitchener	310	472	66%
Howard Robertson PS	Kitchener	330	504	65%
Bridgeport PS	Kitchener	310	507	61%
Cedarbrae PS	Waterloo	240	409	59%
Hillside PS	Kitchener	285	493	58%
Prueter PS	Kitchener	215	372	58%
Floradale PS	Elmira	195	340	57%
Millen Woods PS	Waterloo	275	496	55%
John Darling PS	Kitchener	175	324	54%
Sandowne PS	Waterloo	245	458	53%

One class

A whole school career, start to finish.

In the video I said kids who were in that kindergarten when it was new have now graduated. Here is that class, one school year at a time, beside the addition the board approved before they started.

Junior kindergarten to Grade 12. No addition.

A child who started junior kindergarten in September 2012, the month the addition was due to open, was in senior kindergarten when full-day kindergarten began in the new rooms, and finished Grade 12 in June 2026. By then, staff had screened a rebuild out four times.

At Lexington, JK to Grade 6
Grades 7 to 12, at other schools
Addition not built
September 2012: due to open
2013–14: full-day kindergarten begins

The 13-classroom additionApproved by the boardAddition

A rebuildBoard staff screeningRebuild

One classStarts JK, September 2012One class

2009–102010–112011–122012–132013–142014–152015–162016–172017–182018–192019–202020–212021–222022–232023–242024–252025–262026–27NowYesSentNoStill not builtOff the listOutOutOutOutProposedJKSK★Grade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8Grade 9Grade 10Grade 11Grade 12

Yes board approvesSent to the provinceNo province doesn’t fund itOff the list board drops itOut staff screen it outProposed still listed

Sources: 2010 staff report and 2013 letter to families,^⁠[4]^⁠[5] 2018 draft plan,^⁠[6] four capital priorities reports^⁠[9]^⁠[10]^⁠[11]^⁠[12] and the 2025 partnership report.^⁠[8] The class is illustrative: a child moving up one grade a year. Each mark sits in the school year of its meeting or letter.

Show this chart as a table

School year	One class	The 13-classroom addition	A rebuild
2009–10	—	June 21, 2010. Trustees approve a 13-classroom addition in principle, to open in September 2012 if the province funds it.^⁠[4]^⁠[5]	—
2010–11	—	—	—
2011–12	—	May 2012. Board staff send it to the Ministry on the board’s list of priority projects.^⁠[5]	—
2012–13	Junior kindergarten	September 2012. The addition’s target opening.^⁠[5]January 24, 2013. The province funds three other board projects. Lexington’s addition is not one of them.^⁠[5]	—
2013–14	Senior kindergarten. Full-day kindergarten starts at Lexington, in a new three-room addition.^⁠[5]	Not built. Permanent capacity has stayed at 113 places since 2014–15.^⁠[2]^⁠[3]	—
2014–15	Grade 1	Not built	—
2015–16	Grade 2	Not built	—
2016–17	Grade 3	Not built	—
2017–18	Grade 4	January 22, 2018. The board’s draft plan says the business case “was never approved by the Ministry and is no longer within the priority list.”^⁠[6]	—
2018–19	Grade 5	Not built	—
2019–20	Grade 6	Not built	—
2020–21	Grade 7	Not built	May 10, 2021. 2021–22 funding round: board staff screen the rebuild out before submission. “Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2021/22.”^⁠[9]
2021–22	Grade 8	Not built	February 28, 2022. 2022–23 funding round: board staff screen the rebuild out before submission. “Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2022-23.”^⁠[10]
2022–23	Grade 9	Not built	—
2023–24	Grade 10	Not built	October 16, 2023. 2023–24 funding round: board staff screen the rebuild out before submission. “Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2023-24.”^⁠[11]
2024–25	Grade 11	Not built	September 16, 2024. 2024–25 funding round: board staff screen the rebuild out before submission. “Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2024-25.”^⁠[12]
2025–26	Grade 12	Not built	September 15, 2025. A board report still lists the “Proposed Lexington Public School facility rebuild” among its 2020–2025 short-term actions.^⁠[8]
2026–27	—	Not built	—

Four rounds

Screened out before it was sent.

Before each provincial funding round, board staff list the projects they considered and didn’t submit. These are board staff’s words, not a decision by the province.

The same line, four rounds running.

Each time, the rebuild was ruled ineligible without naming the requirement it missed. Trustees voted on the submission once, in 2021.

Funding round 2021–22
Staff report
Committee of the Whole, May 10, 2021^⁠[9]
Lexington’s row, as printed
“Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2021/22”
Criterion it failed
Not named
Sent to Queen’s Park instead
4 projects
Trustee vote
YesTrustees approved the submission
Funding round 2022–23
Staff report
Board meeting, February 28, 2022^⁠[10]
Lexington’s row, as printed
“Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2022-23”
Criterion it failed
Not named
Sent to Queen’s Park instead
5 projects
Trustee vote
NoReport “for the information of the Board”
Funding round 2023–24
Staff report
Committee of the Whole, October 16, 2023^⁠[11]
Lexington’s row, as printed
“Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2023-24”
Criterion it failed
Not named
Sent to Queen’s Park instead
2 projects
Trustee vote
NoReport “for the information of the Board”
Funding round 2024–25
Staff report
Committee of the Whole, September 16, 2024^⁠[12]
Lexington’s row, as printed
“Does not meet criteria; ineligible project for 2024-25”
Criterion it failed
Not named
Sent to Queen’s Park instead
3 projects
Trustee vote
NoReport “for the information of the Board”

14 project requests sent to Queen’s Park in four rounds0 for Lexington

Source: Appendix B of each capital priorities report, “Potential Future Capital Priorities Program Submissions.”^⁠[9]^⁠[10]^⁠[11]^⁠[12] The same unexplained line appears beside rebuilds or additions at other schools, including Clemens Mill PS and Sunnyside PS.^⁠[9]

Show the projects sent instead

Round	Projects sent to the province	Trustees’ role
2021–22	New North Cambridge elementary school; New Breslau-Hopewell Crossing elementary school; Parkway PS addition; Waterloo-Oxford DSS addition	Trustees voted to approve the submission.^⁠[9]
2022–23	New North Cambridge elementary school; Parkway PS addition; Waterloo-Oxford DSS addition; Ayr PS addition; New southwest Kitchener secondary school	Presented “for the information of the Board”, three days after staff submitted on February 25.^⁠[10]
2023–24	New North Cambridge elementary school; Parkway PS addition with child care	Presented “for the information of the Board”.^⁠[11]
2024–25	Huron Heights SS addition; New North Cambridge elementary school; New Rosenberg II elementary school with child care	Presented “for the information of the Board”.^⁠[12]

The full report

The whole paper trail, in one place.

This post covers what the video said. The Lexington report has the rest, with every document linked:

Lexington against the top ten in the board and in Ontario
Students and permanent places, every year since 2011–12
The full history, from 1955 to 2025
All four screening lists, row by row
The provincial rules, and the nearby-schools question

Read the full report

What I’d do as trustee

Ask in public. Publish the answer.

I’m Brian Best, and I’m running for public school trustee in Waterloo and Wilmot. These are the commitments from the video, sized to what a trustee can actually do.

Move for a public decision

I’d move that trustees decide, in public, whether to submit Lexington in the next provincial funding round.

Ask what it needs to qualify

I’d ask for a staff report on what the project needs to meet the province’s requirements, so families aren’t left guessing which one it fails.

Publish the paper trail

I’d move to publish every capital request, every screening reason and every vote, so parents can see what we asked for and what’s in the way.

A trustee can’t fund a school or promise how a vote will go. Queen’s Park funds construction, and it needs to step up here. A trustee can move the motion, ask for the report and make the answer public.

Transcript

What I said.

The full video, word for word. Captions are burned into the video itself.

Read the transcript · 1:45

This is Lexington Public School. It’s the eighth most overcrowded school in all of Ontario. Now, that’s based on the latest available provincial data comparing enrolment to permanent seat capacity. In 2024–2025, Lexington had 355 students going here, and it only has permanent capacity for 113 seats. That’s more than triple the permanent capacity, the highest ratio in all the school board. It’s ridiculous to see this on a chart. It’s like it’s so far ahead of the next school.

My name is Brian Best. I’m running for school board trustee in Waterloo and Wilmot.

Your board can plan an expansion, but Queen’s Park has the controls to fund it, and sets the requirements in order to qualify for that funding. In 2010, the board approved the 13-classroom addition. In 2013, the province didn’t fund it. Instead, we got a separate kindergarten addition that went ahead. The 13-classroom addition never did. Kids that attended that kindergarten when the addition was new have now graduated from high school.

For four funding rounds, board staff have screened out a rebuild as ineligible under provincial requirements, so it was never submitted. The screening doesn’t list why it didn’t meet the requirements, though.

As a trustee, I’d move for a public decision on submitting Lexington to the next round, and a report explaining what it needs to qualify. I’d move to publish every capital request, screening reason and vote. Parents deserve to see why we’re not getting the things that we need in this region.

Make no mistake, Queen’s Park needs to step up here. This school needs permanent classrooms, not another decade of paperwork.

If you want to read the history of this project, I have a report up on my website, best4schoolboard.com/lexington. That’s best, number four, schoolboard.com/lexington.

Lightly edited from the automatic captions for spelling and punctuation. “Eighth” is on 2020–21 data, the latest year in the province-wide file.^⁠[3] “Overcrowded” here means students against permanent capacity, not class size: Lexington’s classes averaged 23.6 students in 2024–⁠25.^⁠[7] The kindergarten line holds for the children in senior kindergarten in 2013–14, who finished Grade 12 in June 2026. That year’s junior kindergarten class is in Grade 12 now.

Sources and method

Check my work.

Ontario Ministry of Education, enrolment by school, 2024-25
October 31 headcount, rounded to the nearest five. Lexington PS is school number 588326.
WRDSB 2020-2030 Long-Term Accommodation Plan
Review Area E25 on PDF page 100: capacity, portapak, recommendations and forecast. Figure 13 footnote on page 31. Definition of on-the-ground capacity on page 106. Adopted June 21, 2021.
School Utilization in Ontario, Western University
Ministry School Facility Inventory System records, 2010-11 to 2020-21. Source of the provincial rank and of capacity by year.
Staff report on the East Kitchener-Waterloo accommodation review, June 21, 2010
School history, the 2009 condition assessment and the recommendation for a 13-classroom addition.
WRDSB letter to the Lexington community, April 30, 2013
Confirms the 2010 approval in principle, the May 2012 submission, the January 24, 2013 funding announcement and the kindergarten addition.
Draft 2017-2027 Long-Term Accommodation Plan, Committee of the Whole, January 22, 2018
Review Area E25 history: the business case “was never approved by the Ministry and is no longer within the priority list.”
Ontario Ministry of Education, class size data by school
Lexington Public School, 2024-25.
Community Planning and Facility Partnership Opportunities report, September 15, 2025
Lists the “Proposed Lexington Public School facility rebuild” under 2020-2025 short-term actions (PDF page 9) and reports the outcome of the 2024 submissions (page 8).
2021 Capital Priorities Program Submission, May 10, 2021
Screening list in Appendix B, PDF page 31. Eligibility rules in the body of the report.
2022-23 Capital Priorities Program Submission, February 28, 2022
Screening list in Appendix B, PDF page 21. Outcome reported to Committee of the Whole on October 17, 2022.
2023-24 Capital Priorities Grant Program Submission, October 16, 2023
Screening list in Appendix B, PDF page 18.
2024-25 Capital Priorities Grant Program Submission, September 16, 2024
Screening list in Appendix B, PDF page 52.

How the numbers were worked out

314% is 2024–25 enrolment divided by the capacity in the board’s 2020–2030 plan, the newest published. The school is at 314% of its permanent capacity, which is about 214% over it.
The board chart covers 120 of 122 schools. Squares are grouped in five-point steps, or ten-point steps on small screens. On a computer, hover over a square to see the school. Every school is also in the table.
The Ontario rank uses 2020–21, the last year in the province-wide file. It is a calculation from Ministry data, not a ranking the Ministry publishes.
The class in the career chart moves up one grade a year from junior kindergarten in September 2012. Lexington goes to Grade 6, so Grades 7 to 12 are at other schools.

Found a mistake?

If something here is wrong or out of date, email brian@best4schoolboard.com and I will correct it. The full report has the complete history.

Last updated October 10, 2026

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Approved in 2010.Still not built.

The board said yes. The province said no.

One school, out on its own.

120 schools. One is not like the others.

A whole school career, start to finish.

Junior kindergarten to Grade 12. No addition.

Screened out before it was sent.

The same line, four rounds running.

Funding round 2021–22

Funding round 2022–23

Funding round 2023–24

Funding round 2024–25