Growth: Capital Projects – New Westminster Schools

New Westminster Schools is growing!

As a growth District, we’re working as hard as we can to build schools that will support the kids we currently have enrolled, while also making strategic choices when it comes to projected growth as well. And we’re proud to be building schools in a way that will enable us to lead into the future by creating spaces that will foster innovation, collaboration and take advantage of updated curriculum guidelines and teaching theories.

Long Range Facilities Plan

As we address our current and future enrolment growth in the district, our Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP) plays a vital role in outlining the work we need to do. We develop the LRFP with support of outside consultants that identify both enrolment projections and possible options to accommodate changing needs in our district. This plan serves as the road map we use to develop our capital submissions made to the Ministry of Education and Child Care for funding that’s required to expand or build new schools.

While we previously updated this document every 5 years, with the rapid rate of growth in our District, we’re now refreshing this plan every 18-24 months, to ensure we keep up to date on enrolment projections and if necessary, updating the recommendations and requests with the Ministry. We are committed to doing everything we can to support students and families in New Westminster.

The Board of Education adopted a refreshed version of the LRFP on October 24, 2023. The latest iteration replaces the 2021 version of the plan in keeping with our commitment to update this document to remain current on the enrolment demands in the District.

Download the 2023 Long Range Facilities Plan

Now, here are the top projects we have on the go …

Queen Elizabeth Elementary School addition

In June of 2021 the Ministry of Education officially announced that they will invest over $20 million to support the proposed 13 classroom expansion of Queen Elizabeth Elementary! This much needed expansion paves the way for the space required to serve the fast-growing community of Queensborough.

Current Phase: Concept and architectural plans.

Phase highlights: The below draft concept plans were shared at a public information and consultation session on Monday June 27th, 2022 (intended for evaluation and discussion only).

Queen Elizabeth Elementary Addition - Draft Presentation Boards - 2022-06-22 - Copy

Anticipated Completion: Within the 2024-25 school year.

Skwo:wech Elementary (previously Richard McBride) Replacement Project

In the Spring of 2020 we broke ground on the new Skwo:wech Elementary. And staff and students were able to move into the new school following Spring Break in 2022!

The replacement school features open spaces and a design will support revised and modern curriculum needs. And, in addition, it features a significant expansion to the child care centre with new infant and toddler spaces opening up to better support local families.

Current Phase: New school is open, final landscaping and deficiency issues being addressed.

Phase highlights: The new school is open and being enjoyed by students. The child care facility will open in the 2022-23 school year. Demolition, sorting, removal of the old school is continuing.

Additional notes: N/A

Most recent community update: https://newwestschools.ca/a-red-ribbon-day-at-skwowech-elementary

Check out these photos taken at the ribbon cutting event in June of 2022!

The new New Westminster Secondary School

We are excitedly nearing the end of our New Westminster Secondary School Replacement Project – a $106.5 million, state-of-the-art new home for one of British Columbia’s largest high schools!

Our new NWSS space accommodates over 2000 grade 9 to 12 students in a 21st century learning environment … meeting today’s standards for modern learning, safety and accessibility, while incorporating the latest sustainable energy management systems.

Current Phase: New school is open! Old school continues to be decommissioned, with demolition of final structure anticipated from June to September of 2023.

Phase highlights:The Massey wing of the old school is continuing to be decommissioned, Pearson Wing has started demolition.

Anticipated Completion: Demolition of the old school is happening now.

Want a peak? Watch our “Welcome Home” tour here:

In development: Fraser River Zone, Elementary School Project

For the 2022-23 major capital funding process, the District requested over $200 million in capital projects, mainly consisting of 2 new schools and 3 land acquisition requests. Our most significant needs are to create capacity for elementary and middle schools in the Fraser River Zone Region.

The Fraser River elementary project (planned for the Simcoe Park Campus) has been formally supported by government, enabling us to work on the Concept Plan and Project Definition Report. If successful, this will lead to funding support for a new elementary school.

Current phase: Concept Plan

Phase highlights: Development of concept drawings, work with community partners as we investigating the capital development project (the current plan being investigated would see a campus be built around Simcoe Park, which would include both the Fraser River Middle School site as well as the School Board Office).

Anticipated timelines: No timelines can be created until after the funding approval phase has been completed.