The Data:
The school building opened in 1918 when 166 students were registered,
53 in elementary grades and 113 in the high school group. Two students
grduated that year. The peak enrolment year was 1941-42 when 1,413
students were registered
and the school worked a number of classes in shifts due to lack of
classroom space.
Standardized enrolment numbers are only available from 1921 when the school was transferred to the PBSC from the Coteau St. Pierre commission. Later gaps in data are due to missing years of the available annual reports of the PBSC and PSBGM. The line joining the data bars represents a rolling average to help visualize enrolment over all years. The 1978 figure is from The Montreal Gazette newspaper, June 3, 1979.
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Events affecting enrolment
1918-Opening of school
1925-Extension added
1931-Extension added
1930s- Depression
1952-54 Westward School open for grade 7 and 8 only, new West Hill
High opens on Somerled
1954- Return of full high school status to Monklands High, senior grade
levels added back one year at a time
1958- Benny Ave. Extension added, first year of four year enrolment since 1952
1970- Bill 22 enacted, decline in school age population in area
1977- Bill 101 enacted further restricting parents' choice of schools
1979- School closed