Surging enrolment leaves SD62 looking to add new schools

In an Oct. 8 news release, SD62—the Sooke school board, which covers most of the Westshore—says it has “exceeded its projected growth for the 2024-25 school year” and plans to work with the province to build more schools.

It’s not alone.

Enrolment in Greater Victoria’s SD61 has grown to 21,067 this year from last year’s full-district roll call of 20,855. One of its schools, Vic High—the oldest high school in the province— reopened in the spring following a lengthy and delayed retrofit, and the district will welcome an additional elementary school next year to replace Cedar Middle School.

The Vic High renovation project may have been just as much about seismic upgrading as accommodating more kids, but the four-year project netted a new library and learning commons, as well as room for 200 additional students. There’s also a new neighbourhood learning centre that will offer child-care programs once it opens next year.

The Cedar Hill Middle School project, which is expected to be completed by January, includes a total replacement of the school with room for 575 students and a new neighbourhood learning centre.

“Beyond Cedar Hill Middle School, we just conducted an open house at Sundance-Bank Elementary in August for which we are planning to upgrade the site seismically, but to also allow for more capacity,” a Greater Victoria School District spokesperson tells Capital Daily.

There are 60 public school districts in BC, operating 1,600 schools that serve approximately 600K students from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Surrey and Sooke: both growing fast

One of them, Surrey’s, is growing at quite the clip. In September, it had to find room for 2,200+ students—some 1,300 more than was first expected—and according to a CBC report, more than 80% of its 124 schools are over capacity, so it’s had to add portable classrooms. It’s also asking the province for 9 new schools and the expansion of 16 others.

With Langford in a Surrey-esque growth mode, SD62 has had to plan for expansion.

Its initial projections estimated K-12 standard Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Enrolment would land at 13,065 students. But actual enrolment is now 13,298—233 students more than expected. The total growth is 548 students, and total enrolment is 14,315 including online and Continuing Ed students.

Since last year, K-12 enrolment in those seven municipalities (Sooke, Port Renfrew, Metchosin, Highlands, Langford, and Colwood) collectively increased by 4.3%. That growth rate was even higher at the secondary level, at 7%, and is causing particular concern because Belmont and Royal Bay Secondary Schools are operating over capacity. As a result, the district is looking to gain support for approval to build the proposed North Langford Secondary School.

SD62 purchased a 12-acre (4.9 ha) piece of land near Costco, where the proposed 2K-seat secondary school has been approved, precisely to relieve pressure on “existing facilities and to address the secondary school space pressures in the Westshore,” as per its release. The City of Langford intends to help fund a field, lighting, and possibly a large community theatre.

Two months ago, this district and province also announced plans for a middle school on land adjacent to the proposed high school .

“We are working closely with the Ministry of Education and Child Care to ensure the business case for North Langford Secondary School is thorough and addresses the long-term needs of the Westshore community,” said District Supt. Paul Block in an interview with Times Colonist. But it may be competing for provincial resources with other quick-growth regions.

Not so fast, Surrey ...

At the beginning of the school year, the City of Surrey declared itself the fastest-growing school district in BC, with an increase of more than 2K students over the previous year. On its website, SD62 says it is “one of the fastest-growing school districts in BC.”

Kristen McGillivray, SD62 communications manager, told Capital Daily its claim to be the fastest-growing was “confirmed internally with staff at the Ministry of Education.”

Surrey may have added the most individual students, but that massive district was already the largest in BC with 83,401 students this spring—meaning when you go by percentages, Sooke’s enrolment is growing faster than Surrey’s.

It's not just high schools

In the Westshore, the pressure of an increased student population isn’t limited to schools at the secondary level. The district is also exploring creative interim solutions with the ministry to expand capacity without adding more portables to its existing elementary schools. Those solutions will have to address the fact that PEXSISEN Elementary, which opened in Langford in 2022, is already full.

Nearby Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School, also opened in 2022, has nearly reache capacity and the 480 spots at SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ Elementary School (slated to open next September on Latoria Road at Klahanie Drive) are already accounted for. Meanwhile, Ruth King and David Cameron elementaries just moved to mitigate their own crowding issues by opening up 400 extra spots using 16 prefabricated classrooms.

Block has said in several media interviews that the district could also add more of these prefabricated rooms to land near the Royal  Bay high that is slated to become an elementary in the near future.

The good news is that land for building three new regional elementary schools has been secured as part of the school district’s capital planning. These would include the aforementioned elementary in Colwood's Royal Bay, one on Flint Ave. in north part of Langford, and one in the area of Sooke’s Sunriver Estates.

The district is optimistic about the potential approval of North Langford Secondary School after a government is formed following the Oct. 19 election. The current growth rate trends mean the district will have to continue to plan for increasing student enrolment in the coming years.

“We are committed to ensuring that every student in the Sooke School District has access to a high-quality education in a safe and supportive learning environment,” Block said in a release.

SD62 will “continue to advocate for the resources and infrastructure needed to meet the demands of our growing community," he said.