Registration update for 2023-24 school year

Statement on registration for the 2023/24 school year

As anticipated, we have received a significant number of registrations for the 2023-24 school year. While we are excited to be welcoming new learners and their families to our schools and our community, this continued enrollment growth is adding to the capacity pressures our schools are facing.

On Friday February 3, we shared the news that all eight elementary schools and all three middle schools will be closed for transfer requests (except in the case of sibling status) and closed for out-of-district placements for the 2023-24 school year, as we work hard to support local families by creating space in neighbourhood and neighbouring schools. The three schools that are facing the most combined growth and capacity challenges continue to be École Qayqayt Elementary, Lord Kelvin Elementary and Queen Elizabeth Elementary.

Our teams are closely monitoring enrollment numbers against our physical capacity and school organizations. We are doing everything we can to think creatively about how we’re using our spaces, and we’re continuing discussions with the City of New Westminster about possible new solutions.

Thanks to the difficult but necessary decision made by the Board to create two new classrooms at Qayqayt for next year, and to our continued collaborations and partnership work within the community, we are happy to share news today that we will not be entering a lottery situation at any of our schools for the 2023-24 school year.

That said, space continues to be tight. We will work hard to place students at their catchment schools, but cannot guarantee that all families registering after deadline will be accommodated at their local school.

We are continuing to work with our partners at all levels to create and build the new spaces we need to alleviate this pressure, as we’re committed to supporting students and families in the local communities they call home.