Land purchased for new facility that will accommodate 600 students
On Thursday, March 12, the New Brunswick government announced that the land had finally been purchased for the proposed K-8 school for the District of Carleton North.
The plan to construct a new, modern, consolidated school was announced by former Minister of Education and Early Childhood, Bill Hogan, in June 2023. Construction was supposed to begin in 2024, and the school was supposed to open this fall.
Residents in the region have been frustrated by the delay and lack of communication from the Department of Education, especially after the controversial announcement in December 2025, when the province announced it was beginning the process of building a new French school for Woodstock.
Minister of Education and Early Childhood, Claire Johnson, announced that the new school will replace four aging elementary and middle schools, including Bath Community School, Florenceville Middle School, Florenceville Elementary School, and Bristol Elementary School.
The new facility will have 32 classrooms to house approximately 600 students.
Johnson shared that the school will be “bigger, modern, clean, healthy, more sustainable for the future…and will be a much-needed upgrade for education infrastructure for the next generation of young people of Carleton North.”
Minister of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Chuck Chiasson said his department’s job was to make sure that “government owned buildings, including schools, are in good condition.”
He said that the existing schools were all built before 1966 and needed “extensive renovations,” and that it was decided it would be better to build new ones rather than retrofit them.
Johnson said the school’s location on Route 130 offers easy access to the Trans-Canada Trail system.
“I am big on active transportation,” said Johnson. “I think the best way for kids to get to school is by either walking or biking.”
Representatives from the District of Carleton North were also in attendance at the press conference, including Mayor Andrew Harvey.
Harvey thanked MLA Margaret Johnson, whom he credited as being “very influential in getting this started.” He noted that both the council and MLA Johnson felt strongly that the chosen site was ideal due to its proximity to the trail system, the Northern Carleton Civic Centre, and the R.G. “Bun” Veysey Active Living Centre. The site also provides ample space for track and field and outdoor classrooms.
Harvey noted that while playground and track-and-field spaces are not included in the “scope” of the government’s project, the District of Carleton North will be committed to fundraising to ensure the school has ample outdoor facilities.
Minister Johnson said the province is “very excited the students will have a well-equippped learning environment with modern standards where they can build a brighter future for themselves and our entire province.”
Following the press conference, Minister Chiasson responded to questions about the significant delays the project has experienced.
He explained that the hold-up was due to land acquisition issues, including the evaluation of alternative sites, core testing, and accessibility concerns.
When asked why the new school is not projected to open until Sept. 2030, Minister Johnson explained that they expect the design process to take a significant amount of time.
“It’s important to be working with the people who are on the front-line, such as teachers and students,” said Johnson.
She mentioned that they need to consider what the community wants and needs.
“We don’t want it to be a cookie-cutter design. We want to put a lot of time and space [into the design] and create the type of school and learning space that is right for this area. And this takes time.”
A projected date for breaking ground on the new school was not provided.
