A review could soon get underway looking at the long-term outlook for 17 schools in Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage and on the Halifax peninsula — an analysis that could lead to recommendations that some close.

The Halifax Regional School Board will vote at its Dec. 16 meeting on which schools will be reviewed, but school board staff are recommending more than a dozen located in three areas delineated as "families" of schools.

In some cases, enrolments have declined. In others, the buildings are old and need expensive repairs.

The schools are:

Citadel High School family of schools:

Joseph Howe Elementary

Oxford School

St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay Elementary

St. Stephen's Elementary

Highland Park Junior High

Eastern Passage High School (to open September 2018) family of schools:

Eastern Passage Education Centre

Seaside Elementary

Ocean View Elementary

Tallahassee Community School

Cole Harbour District High School family of schools:

Cole Harbour District High

Ross Road School

Sir Robert Borden Junior High

Atlantic View Elementary

Colonel John Stuart Elementary

George Bissett Elementary

Nelson Whynder Elementary

Robert Kemp Turner Elementary

In 2014, Premier Stephen McNeil's government changed the way underused schools are closed in Nova Scotia, marking the third time in less than a decade that the review process had been revamped.

St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay Elementary is one of 17 schools being reviewed. (Google Maps)

School boards are no longer able to review individual schools for closure. Instead, they must look at families of schools and come up with long-term regional plans for their facilities.

Some parents in the Cole Harbour family of schools are concerned elementary and junior high schools in the area are being drained of students who are being diverted into the Eastern Passage family of schools.

Tonight at 7 p.m., there is a meeting at Auburn High School where parents can talk about their concerns with the review.