This Newfoundland school only has 1 student. Here’s what that means for everyone else [Video]

A school in rural Newfoundland that’s survived several closure attempts remains open for a single student, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and causing grief for parents in the community.

For the second school year in a row, one student is enrolled at Swift Current Academy, the only school in Swift Current, N.L., an outport of around 200 people that’s about a two hour’s drive from St. John’s.

The school currently employs one teacher who also acts as principal, a custodian, a secretary and a bus driver.

Sixteen school-age children are zoned to attend the school, but most of them decided last year to jump ship, driving long distances in exchange for more classmates and extracurriculars. Seven of them attend school in Clarenville, …