May 10, 2024  – Families in Coquitlam will see 300 more student spaces in their community, as part of the government’s plan to expand schools faster.

“With record population growth, our government continues to invest in our schools as more cities like Coquitlam welcome new students to their classrooms,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “That is why we are taking action to find ways to build and open more classrooms faster.”

The addition will include 12 classrooms, corridors and lockers. The use of prefabricated materials means it will be built quickly. Students at Dr. Charles Best Secondary are benefiting from the existing prefabricated classroom addition that was built in February 2021. The new addition is just one of several new projects expected to be ready for students by fall 2025.

“As more families continue to make Coquitlam their home, it’s important we keep up with the growing demand on our schools,” said Rick Glumac, MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam. “With this addition at Dr. Charles Best Secondary school, we are making progress on meeting enrolment growth in our district.”

Recognizing the needs of the growing community, this $18-million investment is in addition to the Province’s investment of more than $300 million to create more than 2,600 new student seats in the Coquitlam School District over the past seven years. This includes the creation of 775 seismically safe seats at Irvine Elementary and Moody Elementary, the recently completed Coast Salish Elementary, which created 430 new student spaces, as well as the prefabricated addition to Scott Creek Middle school, which will provide 250 additional seats as early as fall 2024.

“We are pleased to add much-needed student spaces to Dr. Charles Best Secondary,” said Michael Thomas, chair, School District 43 Coquitlam Board of Education. “We are also very proud to have been leaders in utilizing this model of prefabricated classroom additions and know that this model will serve students for many years to come.”

Since September 2017, the B.C. government has provided over $4 billion for new and improved schools and land purchases for future schools throughout the province. This has resulted in more than 25,000 new student spaces and over 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 schools.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Coquitlam School District, visit: https://www.sd43.bc.ca/Pages/default.aspx#/=

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