Kensington is a town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 located 15 kilometres northeast of Summerside

Summerside, Prince Edward Island

Summerside is a Canadian city in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is the second largest city in the province and the principal municipality for the western part of the island.- History :...

 in Prince County

Prince County, Prince Edward Island

Prince County, is located in western Prince Edward Island, Canada. The county's defining geographic feature is Malpeque Bay, a sub-basin of the Gulf of St...

, Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

; As of 2001, the population was 1,385.

The area was first known as Five Lanes End, as roads from five different communities converged at the point. It was renamed Barrett's Cross in 1824 after an early settler that established an inn in the area. In 1862, the town was renamed after Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century and is the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and it became a town after the Prince Edward Island Railway

Prince Edward Island Railway

The Prince Edward Island Railway was a historic Canadian railway.-Construction:Located wholly within the province of Prince Edward Island, construction of the PEIR started in 1871, financed by the United Kingdom...

's mainline from Charlottetown to Summerside curved through the community. The town's former railyards are now rehabilitated as a tourist venue, with the former railway station designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976.

Kensington today is a service centre for the surrounding farming areas.

Education

Kensington has a schooling system ranging from PreSchool to Secondary. It is part of the Western School Board District of schools. At the PreSchool level there are numerous organizations such as Fun Times Kindergarten and Play School, Happy Days Playschool, and Kiddietown Day Care.

Kensington has one elementary school, Queen Elizabeth Elementary. Opened on December 3, 1976, Queen Elizabeth hosts grades 1 through 6. The school has two playgrounds, the front playground being for grades 1–3 and the back playground for grades 4–6. The school contains a music room, gymnasium, French room, and library. Many extracurricular activities are offered to students, such as intramurals, choir, chess club, photography club and more.

It is home to Kensington Intermediate Senior High School

Kensington Intermediate Senior High School

Kensington Intermediate Senior High School, is a Canadian secondary school in Kensington, Prince Edward Island.Opened in 1955, it was a very small school until it received a $6.7 million grant and were added. Today it hosts grades 7 through 12, dividing the junior students into grades 7-9 and the...

.