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The derelict site of École Davis Road Elementary in Ladysmith will be torn down and replaced with a new, prefabricated, K-7 Ladysmith Intermediate School, with a major expansion also coming to Ladysmith Primary. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)
funding announcement

New elementary & expanded primary schools coming to Ladysmith

Apr 8, 2026 | 3:57 PM

LADYSMITH — A brand new school building and an expansion to another are coming to support a growing community.

A new, seismically-sound and fully accessible 390-seat Ladysmith Intermediate School is being planned at the site of the former École Davis Road Elementary, along with a 10-classroom, two-storey, 250-seat addition to Ladysmith Primary.

Speaking at Ladysmith Intermediate on Wednesday, April 8, provincial infrastructure minister Bowinn Ma said both projects will proceed around the same time, using a prefabricated construction process.

“What we’re talking about is a construction technique that allows us to deliver classroom additions and now, potentially, a new school for less cost and faster than we would if we were using stick-build. We’re talking full, permanent schools with all of the amenities you would expect in a permanent school but delivered through a much more innovative and up-and-coming construction technology.”

Minister of infrastructure Bowinn Ma, speaking at Ladysmith Intermediate School on Wednesday, April 8, joined by MLA for Ladysmith-Oceanside Stephanie Higginson.
Minister of infrastructure Bowinn Ma, speaking at Ladysmith Intermediate School on Wednesday, April 8, joined by MLA for Ladysmith-Oceanside Stephanie Higginson. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The new Ladysmith Intermediate school would be the first in the province to be built using this method.

The province is contributing $15M for Ladysmith Primary and $37M for the Intermediate school.

The new Intermediate school will have space for 390 students, including 90 from the existing school, and will have two kindergarten classrooms, 14 elementary rooms, a multipurpose room, a media and technology centre, a gym, and outdoor recreation spaces, as well as a neighbourhood learning centre for before- and after-school care.

The school would also be a dual-track English/French immersion.

As a result, Ecole North Oyster School would switch from a dual-track English and French school to English-only.

The expanded Ladysmith Primary will create 250 new student spaces across 10 new classrooms, including an accessible elevator, as well as special education spaces for students with diverse needs.

Once the new Intermediate school is built and the additions are completed at the Primary school, both schools will convert to a K-7 model, consistent with other schools in the Nanaimo Ladysmith School District (SD68).

The Intermediate school currently has grades four to seven students, while Ladysmith Primary is a K-3 school.

Additions for the Ladysmith Primary is expected to be done in 2027, while a replaced Ladysmith Intermediate school is expected to open in 2029.

Long-closed École Davis Road School on Parkhill Terrace in south Ladysmith, is the future site of a new kindergarten through grade seven elementary school.
Long-closed École Davis Road School on Parkhill Terrace in south Ladysmith, is the future site of a new kindergarten through grade seven elementary school. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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