Kingsmill Secondary School (also called Kingsmill (Vocational) Collegiate Institute, KCI, KSS, or simply Kingsmill), originally known as Kingsmill Vocational School is a Toronto District School Board building that existed as a public and vocationalhigh school existed from 1963 until its closure in June 1988 run by the Etobicoke Board of Education. The school property as of 2024, remains under TDSB possession.[1] This school was the first vocational school built in Etobicoke. Its motto was “ Industry. Integrity.”
History
Originally a piece of land surveyed in the township of Etobicoke in 1793 by local developer Frederick Davidson which was set aside for the use of the government mill or the King's Mill located at the first rapids upstream from Lake Ontario and was later used for his 'Brookwood' estate. The house was eventually demolished in 1961 and the Etobicoke Board of Education built and opened Kingsmill (named after the Old 'King's' Mill) on September 3, 1963 at cost of $982,210.00. Designed by architect Gordon Adamson, the school building featured 8 classrooms 1 art room, 11 multiple shops (wood working, machine, sheet metal, general, horticulture, art, grooming-barbering-hairdressing, sewing and infant care, home economics, 2 boys' occupations) tailored for students with slow learning disabilities, a cafetorium, double gymnasium, and library.[2]
In 1972, Kingsmill hosted Humber College's women's basketball team due to lack of home games at their campus.[3]
From 1976 until 1979, Kingsmill's students were accommodated at nearby Crestwood Junior School, which was then closed in 1976 (the school has since been reopened as Karen Kain Arts School).[4]
In March 1988, the EBE approved the closure of Kingsmill effective June 1988. At the April 28, 1988 meeting with the Metropolitan Toronto School Board and the MSSB, the Kingsmill property has been perpetually leased for 99 years which was approved in November 1988.[6] The programs at Kingsmill and Humbergrove were consolidated into Westway High School that is renamed to Central Etobicoke High School.[7] The site needed a complete revamp to become academically oriented schools and costs $3 million.[8] As a result, the Kingsmill transfer money of $4.8 million was allocated for the renovation of Etobicoke School of the Arts in 1989.[9]
^Contenta, Sandro. "Separate board takes two schools rejects one." Toronto Star. March 8, 1988. News p. A6. Retrieved on July 23, 2013. "Humbergrove Secondary School in Etobicoke and West Park Secondary School in Toronto's west end were accepted yesterday during negotiations on the transfer or sharing of schools under Bill 30, the legislation extending full government funding to Roman Catholic high schools." and "However, it would cost up to $4 million to make the building suitable for sharing and the Toronto board will not pick up those costs."
