Province announces 10 new classroom spaces for two Surrey schools

Surrey Board of Education Chair Laurie Larsen speaks at the event, held at École Martha Currie. (Image: Surrey Schools)
Two Surrey elementary schools will be receiving 10 more classrooms following an announcement by the Ministry of Education and Child Care this morning at École Martha Currie Elementary.

École Martha Currie will receive funding for six additional prefabricated classrooms, while Walnut Road Elementary will receive another four, in addition to 12 classrooms announced for the school last fall. 

The $15-million worth of additions will add a further 250 classroom seats to the district and are anticipated to open in fall 2025.

Thursday’s announcement was made by Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care.

“Thank you to Minister Singh and the province for this funding,” said Laurie Larsen, Chair of the Surrey Board of Education. “These additions to Walnut Road Elementary and École Martha Currie will expand our capacity to meet the needs of our rapidly increasing student population and allow us to keep students in their neighbourhood schools.”

Due to the prefabricated nature of the additions, the new classrooms will have a completion time around six-to-eight months sooner than a traditional school expansion, while still featuring plumbing, heating and other amenities.

“As one of B.C.’s fastest growing communities, it’s important we continue to invest in Surrey Schools,” said Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Mike Starchuk. “This addition to Walnut Road Elementary and Martha Currie Elementary will bring much-needed spaces to our community.”

Earlier this spring, the district announced that the student population in Surrey and White Rock schools had grown by more than 1,500 since September 2023, bringing the total enrolment to more than 83,400. 

With up to 96,000 students estimated to be enrolled in the district by 2033, the Surrey Board of Education continues to advocate for capital funding to manage school capacity pressures.  

“My fellow trustees and I look forward to continuing to work with the province to find sustainable solutions for our rapidly growing school district,” said Larsen.

To learn more about Surrey Schools capital projects, see our Capital Project Office progress chart.