Soaring student numbers: Will pressure on Surrey’s education infrastructure and increased investment create a virtuous cycle?
Surrey is one of the fastest growing cities in British Columbia, and the recent surge in student enrollment has put significant pressure on the education sector. Housing demand in the area is already high, but this student growth suggests that it could increase even more in the coming years.
Relatively affordable housing and an expanding educational infrastructure are likely to drive demand in the region in the long term.
As of the 2022-23 school year, there are a total of 577,024 students enrolled in public schools in British Columbia and 86,201 students enrolled in private schools.
Of these, 86,596 students have special needs in a variety of languages, including English or French, an increase of 3,830 students from the previous year.
Additionally, 76,091 students are English as a Second Language (ELL) students, an increase of 6,886 students from the previous year.
On the other hand, the number of Aboriginal students was 74,365, a decrease of 2,005 year-on-year, and the number of students receiving French-language instruction (students enrolled in French immersion programs and French immersion school districts) also decreased.
Specifically, students enrolled in French immersion programs decreased by 438 students to 53,356, and students enrolled in French immigrant school districts decreased by 146 students to 6,269.
These data show significant variation in the composition and characteristics of the student population within British Columbia, suggesting that different regions of the province have different educational needs and linguistic backgrounds.
The Surrey school district, in particular, is one of the fastest-growing areas in the province, and is uniquely positioned to capitalize on these changes, making the need for increased educational infrastructure even more pressing.
The Surrey school district’s student population has grown dramatically in recent years, far surpassing its historical growth of about 800 students per year, with more than 2,400 new students enrolled each year in the last two years.
This rapid expansion has resulted in 83% of the 124 schools operating above capacity, and the district-wide capacity rate (the ratio of student enrollment to classroom capacity) has reached 103%.
This is causing many schools to struggle beyond simply accommodating students, leading to creative solutions such as setting up mobile classrooms, extending school hours, and introducing blended learning models.
Despite Surrey’s schools suffering from overcrowding, many families are considering relocating to the region because of its relatively affordable housing prices and the promise of future transportation and education infrastructure improvements.
The provincial government recognizes the importance of this growth and has allocated $8.05 billion for kindergarten through grade 12 education in the 2023-24 budget.
This is a significant increase from previous years and reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring that all students have access to quality education.
But even with these budget increases, schools in Surrey are still struggling to keep up with growth.
And this growth in student numbers is likely to accelerate as Surrey has plans for transit expansion to connect with downtown Vancouver.
The current focus is on the immediate need for more schools and classrooms, but in the longer term, there will also be an impact on Surrey’s housing market.