Blanche E. Williams Public School opened its doors in Brantford on September 8, 2026, welcoming more than 600 students to the brand new facility in the West Brant neighbourhood.
The $34-million school at Shellard’s Lane and Strickland Avenue features 23 classrooms, four Kindergarten rooms, a gymnasium, and an attached 64-space child-care centre. It was built to relieve severe overcrowding at nearby schools, some of which were operating at over 130 per cent capacity with numerous portable classrooms.
The school is named in honour of Blanche E. Williams, a Brantford woman who was one of the first Black women in Canada to attend university with the same privileges as white students in the 1880s. In 1885, she became the first Black woman to attend the University of Toronto and be allowed to attend the same lectures as white students.
The new school is part of a $67 million joint-use project with the City of Brantford and Brantford Public Library. The site includes a new community centre, library, gymnasium, and a 24-acre community park with a cricket pitch, soccer field, and pickleball courts.
The Grand Erie District School Board serves approximately 28,000 students across 58 elementary and 14 secondary schools in Brantford and the counties of Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk.
