Toronto is planning its first public elementary school built into the podium of a major purpose-built rental tower.

The JK-to-Grade 8 school would occupy part of the base of a proposed 39-storey tower at 770 Don Mills Rd., a city-owned site north of the former Ontario Science Centre.

The tower is one of three planned for the 5.48-acre Housing Now property. The development would contain 1,254 rental apartments, with one-third designated affordable, plus retail, a public park, new streets and a 62-space non-profit child-care centre.

The site is beside Science Centre Station on the newly opened Line 5 Eglinton and a planned Ontario Line station. The Toronto District School Board expects the transit investment and surrounding development to increase enrolment pressure at nearby schools.

Ontario approved funding for the 564-student school in June, according to CreateTO. A school board representative told the Toronto Star that the school could open in 2033.

Public documents describe a purchase-and-sale structure rather than a lease. The board would acquire the completed school space and own it separately from the rental portion of the tower.

The planned school covers more than 63,000 square feet and requires its own street entrance, elevators, utilities and loading arrangements. Plans also call for a regulation-size gymnasium, exclusive rooftop play space and access to the new public park. These requirements will affect the tower’s structural design, construction sequencing and ongoing building management.

The purchase price, ownership boundaries and financial terms remain confidential. A board business case estimates construction, fit-out, site development and landscaping at about $790 per square foot.