This fall marks the debut of a brand new and much-needed elementary school at Vancouver’s densely populated Coal Harbour.
However, not all families who’ve applied for a spot at cəw̓as Ch’elxwá7elch Skwuláw̓txw Seaside Elementary for September have been granted one.
As of March, when the Vancouver School Board (VSB) crunched the numbers after lotteries were held earlier this year, fifteen youngsters were left off the list for a school that has capacity for 317 students.
A list covering the entire district shows a total of 185 students on waitlists at 25 schools, with the wait at Seaside being the longest.
The school district stresses the waitlist numbers are only a snapshot of parent intentions during registration, and that every effort is made to accommodate students within their neighbourhood.
“Right now, Seaside has two kindergarten cohorts, and there are some students on the waitlist. The waitlist moves, as we keep students on the waitlists for the upcoming school year. Lots of families have different plans – they might move, or they might decide to enrol their kids into a Choice program,” says VSB associate superintendent, Maureen McRae-Stanger.
While adding another kindergarten class won’t be possible for this September, McCrae-Stanger says that might change in the future.
“We are looking at the current students we have at Roberts Annex and Lord Roberts, and we are looking at the long-term picture. So, for this coming year, two cohorts is going to be our maximum, but as we go into the next school year, we might see the numbers coming in and maybe next year we might see three cohorts and the year after we might see two cohorts. So, we actually adjust the number of cohorts yearly,” she says.
She points out the opening of the new school has eliminated long-standing waitlists at Lord Roberts.
“We’re actually really lucky because with the opening of Seaside, it supports enrolment pressures we had at Roberts, which has had an extensive waitlist for kindergarten, and this year all kindergarten applicants are able to get in.”
She says the situation at Roberts is a good one for students who might still be on the Seaside waitlist in September, as they would then attend Roberts, the nearest school to Seaside.
Ishi Dinim is an executive member of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC) and says it’s DPAC’s position that every family should be able to send their kids to schools in their neighbourhoods.
He says he understands the turmoil waitlists create for families.
“It’s very difficult to plan your life. In the fall, where are you going to go with your children? That creates a lot of unintended consequences for parents and caregivers,” he says.
“I know parents, who don’t have a car, who live downtown that are having to take their kids on transit to go to school. They could have walked to the local school, but they can’t do that.”
He says he understands the Ministry of Education bases its building plans on minimizing the number of empty spaces in schools, to maximize cost effectiveness.
“But I think that’s less of a concern. I think having some empty space is good. That means there’s room to grow.”
Meantime, other elementary schools that have been chronically over-capacity continue to have waitlists.
Simon Fraser Elementary, located in Mount Pleasant and the nearest school for families living in Olympic Village, is once again offering three streams of kindergarten, but has 12 students on its waitlist.
McCrae-Stanger notes a new school in Olympic Village will address the shortage of spaces at False Creek schools. However, the school, which will have added capacity thanks to a decision this year by Vancouver City Council, won’t be built until 2029. It will house 630 students.
Crosstown Elementary, on the north side of False Creek, has three streams of kindergarten and 11 students on its waitlist. False Creek Elementary has nine students on its waitlist. On the other hand, Elsie Roy, in Yaletown, has no waitlist, unlike previous years.
Charles Dickens, located in Kensington Cedar Cottage, has the second highest waitlist – at 13, despite the fact the school has opened three streams of kindergarten for this coming year.
Vancouver schools that are over-capacity: