School expansion coming to Langley
The growing community of Langley will gain 200 more student spaces at Nicomekl Elementary school as part of the government’s plan to expand schools faster.
“As British Columbia’s population grows, we are finding the best solutions to welcome more students into new classrooms as quickly as possible,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Our government remains committed to building and improving schools in the Langley School District, and this new addition will serve students for decades to come.”
The addition will include eight classrooms connected by corridors and storage for students’ personal belongings. The use of prefabricated construction means it will be built quickly, with the new addition expected to be ready for students by fall 2025.
“I am thrilled that students in Langley city will soon benefit from brand new, state-of-the-art classrooms,” said Andrew Mercier, MLA for Langley. “Ensuring students have access to modern, safe learning environments is critical to meeting the needs of our community.”
Recognizing the needs of the growing community, the $12-million investment is in addition to the Province’s investment of more than $239 million to create 1,835 new student seats in the Langley School District over the past six years. This includes the new 555-seat Northeast Latimer Elementary school expected to be ready by fall 2025, and the 300-seat addition at Langley Secondary school expected to be ready by winter 2025-26. The 275-seat expansion at Peter Ewart middle school is expected to be ready by January 2025 and the 150-seat prefabricated addition to Richard Bulpitt Elementary school is expected to be ready by fall 2024. A site purchase has also been made for future Willoughby secondary and middle schools, and the Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary school opened for students in September 2021.
“It’s fantastic to see more classrooms coming to Langley,” said Megan Dykeman, MLA for Langley East. “This expansion to Nicomekl Elementary is a positive step to address the needs of families in our expanding community now and in the future.”
Candy Ashdown, chair, Langley Board of Education, said: “We are excited for this project and recognize that this addition will relieve enrollment pressures at Nicomekl Elementary and neighbouring schools. As our school communities grow, our board will continue to advocate for more spaces and work with the Ministry of Education and Child Care to support students.”
Since September 2017, the B.C. government has provided more than $4 billion for new and improved schools, and land purchases for future schools in the province. This has resulted in more than 25,000 new student spaces and more than 35,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.
Budget 2024 includes $3.75 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.
Learn More:
For more information about major public school capital projects underway, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/major-capital-projects