The Niagara Catholic District School Board (Niagara Catholic, previously known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 50 prior to 1998 ) is the publicly funded Catholic school board in the Regional Municipality of Niagara which is located in Ontario Canada supporting the municipalities of Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln & West Lincoln, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet and Welland. Its head office, the Catholic Education Centre, is located in Welland, Ontario, Canada. The board consists of 48 elementary schools, eight secondary schools, adult learning centres and alternative learning centres, serving more than 24,000 elementary, secondary, and continuing education students across Niagara.

History

In January, 1997 the Minister of Education and Training for the Province of Ontario announced that, as part of its plan to restructure the education system in Ontario, the number of school boards in the province would be reduced from 129 to 66 and replaced by new “District” school boards, effective January 1, 1998. As part of the amalgamation of school boards, the Welland County Roman Catholic Separate School Board and the Lincoln County Roman Catholic Separate School Board became the Niagara Catholic District School Board, on January 1, 1998. The Niagara Catholic District School Board covers an area of 1868 sq. km and is responsible for providing Catholic education to approximately 22,000 students in the Niagara Region. Niagara Catholic’s first mission statement was introduced shortly after the amalgamation of the former Welland and Lincoln County Roman Catholic Separate School Boards in 1998. The mission statement was the result of a planning process that involved more than 100 representatives of Catholic education who came together to begin the process for the newly established Niagara Catholic District School Board. In the fall of 2008, Niagara Catholic initiated a two-year Vision 2020 strategic planning process. On May 25, 2010, the Board approved the vision statements, the strategic directions and a recommendation to vet a new mission statement. The revised mission statement was vetted to all stakeholders prior to being submitted to the Board for consideration on June 15, 2010. In 2021, Niagara Catholic began a new strategic planning process. The result was Niagara Catholic's 2021-2026 Strategic Plan, Called by Name: Listening, Learning, and Leading, which includes a new Mission Statement for the Board: We are a Christ-centered, Catholic faith community that celebrates diversity and fosters spiritual growth, inspiring all to reach their full potential in mind, body, and spirit. A new Vision Statement was also created: Encountering souls and opening minds so that all students succeed. And new values were incorporated into the plan: Accountability, community, compassion, faithfulness, integrity, justice, and stewardship.

Programs and Services

Niagara Catholic offers a wide variety of programs and services to students, including Technology, Co-op Education, and Specialist High Skills Major programs, as well as the Advanced Placement program. Students participate in arts, athletics, and other co-curricular programs. Partnerships Niagara Catholic has long-standing partnerships with organizations across Niagara. This includes Brock University and Niagara College w

Secondary schools

Elementary schools