Surrey Schools readies prefabricated additions at seven schools for 2,000+ elementary students
From left, Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh, Surrey Board of Education Vice-Chair Gary Tymoschuk, Surrey-Guildford MLA Garry Begg and Surrey-Fleetwood MLA Jagrup Brar appeared at Walnut Road Elementary on Friday to highlight the construction progress of prefabricated additions at Walnut Road, Lena Shaw and Woodland Park elementary schools, scheduled for occupancy in the 2024-25 school year. Prefabricated additions are also slated for construction at École Martha Currie, Latimer Road, Old Yale Road and William Watson elementary schools. (Photo by Jacob Zinn)
Construction is well underway on three new prefabricated elementary additions opening in Surrey this school year, with four more slated to open the following school year, creating more than 2,000 new student spaces in the district.
On Friday (Aug. 23), the Ministry of Education and Child Care and Surrey Schools celebrated the progress on prefabricated additions at Walnut Road, Woodland Park and Lena Shaw elementary schools, scheduled for occupancy this fall. The custom-manufactured additions total 40 classrooms, with additional funding recently announced for prefabricated additions to Latimer Road, Old Yale Road, William Watson and École Marth Currie elementary schools, adding a combined 41 classrooms in 2025.
“These prefabricated classroom spaces offer a creative and quick solution to help provide relief to Surrey schools experiencing immediate capacity challenges,” said Laurie Larsen, Chair of the Surrey Board of Education. “The structures include dedicated washrooms, a common hallway and cooling system – and because they can be more than one level, allow us to maintain crucial outdoor play areas.”
The 81 classrooms will create 2,025 new student spaces across the seven elementary schools, all of which are over capacity. The number of classrooms for each project breaks down as follows:
- Lena Shaw Elementary – eight-classroom addition (scheduled for occupancy November 2024)
- Walnut Road Elementary – 16-classroom addition (12 classrooms scheduled for occupancy October 2024 with an additional four classrooms in spring 2025)
- Woodland Park Elementary – 16-classroom addition (scheduled for occupancy January 2025)
- École Martha Currie Elementary – six-classroom addition (scheduled for occupancy in the 2025-26 school year)
- Latimer Road Elementary – six-classroom addition (scheduled for occupancy in the 2025-26 school year)
- Old Yale Road Elementary – 17-classroom addition (scheduled for occupancy in the 2025-26 school year)
- William Watson Elementary – 12-classroom addition (scheduled for occupancy in the 2025-26 school year)
All seven schools are adjacent to the SkyTrain corridor along Fraser Highway, which is expected to see increased residential development as TransLink continues work on the SkyTrain expansion to Langley. Based on 10-year enrolment projections, the district is forecasted to see up to 96,000 students in 2033, and the March count of 83,401 current students already exceeds projections for September 2025.
Some schools are already experiencing considerable challenges related to overcrowding, such as Latimer Road Elementary, which is closed to new in-catchment students and saw its Montessori program relocated to Douglas Elementary and Mountainview Montessori to balance enrolment.
As rapid enrolment growth outpaces new school builds, prefabricated additions offer quicker build times than typical onsite additions, saving six to eight months on project timelines and getting students into classrooms sooner.
Prefabricated additions are also accessible, energy efficient and take up a smaller site footprint, as compared to portables, to maximize outdoor play space. The additions will include student and staff bathrooms, heating and cooling systems, an elevator to the second floor.
