Empire School and its Westmount neighbourhood

Empire School

Empire SchoolEmpire Public School located in Waterloo’s Westmount neighborhood first opened in 1954 and has recently celebrated 50 years of excellence in education.

Empire is surrounded by quiet streets and suburban homes. The school is comprised of a main single-story building, augmented by portable classrooms. There is a single gym in the central area of the school and a fully networked computer lab. Facility renovations completed in 2006 include: the addition of a portapak, the creation of a large new kindergarten room and library, and the construction of new special education rooms.

Empire has a large playground with two creative play structures, a ball diamond, a soccer field, basketball courts, and a nature garden. During the winter months Empire has a large outdoor ice-rink, maintained by members of the community.

Empire School is very proud of their beautiful Outdoor Learning Circle, which was constructed in 2004 as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

The community of staff, students, parents and volunteers at Empire is committed to providing a safe, supportive environment in which every child:

·       strives for excellence and reaches his/her full potential,

·       becomes a responsible, productive citizen dedicated to life-long learning,

·       shows care and respect for all members of the diverse community.

An active School Council meets throughout the school year and supports staff and students in their endeavours.

Here are some comments from the parents:

“Our daughter was most fortunate to have teachers who inspired her and got her excited about learning.  She really loved her year!”

“…the atmosphere feels so focused on caring for youngsters and on sharing unique experiences with one another.”

Here are some comments from the students:

“Empire doesn’t just feel like a school.  It feels more like a home with caring people to guide the way…”

“I like the mini-stick nets and courts, also the baseball diamond and double playgrounds.”

“Dans cette école, les personnes se respectent; ils sont gentils.  Cette école est une expérience différente  des autres. Empire ‘SOARS’!”

“Les professeurs sont très gentils et l’apprentissage est très amusant!”.

Empire has French Immersion

Regular English instruction is provided to all students from junior kindergarten to grade 6. Core French is provided to students from grades 1 to 6. A partial French Immersion program is available and begins in grade 1.

A Special Education School-Based Team of classroom and resource teachers works at Empire and is dedicated to assessing and providing modified programs for children with special needs.

In the spring of 2007 Empire PS became the first school in Waterloo Region to be certified an Ontario Ecoschool, due to the conservation efforts of the school community and the many environmental projects undertaken by students.

Empire Public School is located at 83 Empire Street, Waterloo

Empire Public School website

Empire Public School gets a score of 6.8/10 last year and 8.1/10 in the most recent five years according to the Fraser Institute report cards.

Empire Public School EAQO ranking report is here

Map of Empire Public School boundary is here

Area map is here

Demographic source

 

Neighbourhood demographic information

Much of this neighbourhood is made up with healthy aging seniors living in their own detached homes. Most residents of this neighbourhood are privileged to have university education and have worked in finance and health care. Even in retirement, residents have annual household income of over $80,000, likely from years of saving and planning. Their leisure activities include attending live shows, visiting museums, reading newspapers or touring around the countryside in RVs. With European backgrounds, this group of history-makers make lifestyle choices based on Protestant values and traditional beliefs.

About 90% of the homes in this neighborhood are owner occupied.

 

Recent real estate sales activity 

Last year, 16 homes sold within a 250 meter radius of the school. The average price was $367,339. The range was $226,750 to $449,800. If we expand the radius to 500 metres, the range is $185,000- $970,000. The high prices are due to the fabulous houses closer to the Westmount Golf Course

More information on Westmount here

 

The definitive guide to Kitchener Waterloo schools, homes and neighborhoods

What school and neighborhood are you interested in? I am currently putting together a book called “The definitive guide to Kitchener Waterloo schools, homes and neighborhoods”. It will publish next year. Please subscribe if you’d like a FREE copy.

If you like this post and have a suggestion or request for another school and neighborhood, please email me here.

 

Sheppard Public School and its East Ward neighbourhood: here

Laurelwood Public School: here

Please subscribe for the latest information on schools, nieghbourhoods and homes in Kitchener Waterloo.

More from Keith Marshall
Mistakes to avoid when moving to the suburbs
Moving to the suburbs It often seems like everyone wants to live...
Read More