NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. — Students and families across British Columbia are beginning the 2026–27 school year with new and improved school facilities, including a new elementary school in North Vancouver that adds hundreds of student spaces and new child-care capacity.
The Province says 23 new and improved schools are opening throughout B.C. in September 2026, adding more space for students as communities continue to grow.
Among the new projects is Cloverley Elementary in North Vancouver, a 585-seat school and the first elementary school to open in the city in 35 years.
“Of the hundreds of major capital projects being delivered by my ministry across the province, the new Cloverley Elementary School project in my home community has a very special place in my heart,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure.
Ma said the project reflects the work of parents, the school district and community members who advocated for a new school.
The school was built using mass timber and incorporates an energy-efficient design intended to reduce its environmental impact.
New school adds 585 student spaces
Construction on Cloverley Elementary began in September 2024.
The new school provides:
- 585 student seats
- Additional child-care space for children younger than age 5
- Energy-efficiency and greenhouse-gas-reduction measures
- Mass-timber construction using a renewable building material
The Province provided $61 million for the elementary school project.
Antje Wilson, chair of the North Vancouver Board of Education, said the new facility responds to population growth in the community.
“North Vancouver is growing and our families need schools that grow with them,” Wilson said.
She said the school combines new student spaces, child care and a modern learning environment designed to serve the community into the future.
92 new child-care spaces at Cloverley
The school will also provide 92 new licensed child-care spaces, giving families access to care on school grounds.
The child-care centre will be operated by North Shore Neighbourhood House in partnership with the North Vancouver School District.
The spaces include:
- 12 spaces for infants and toddlers younger than age 3
- 25 spaces for children ages 2.5 to 5
- 55 spaces for before- and after-school care for school-age children
The project received nearly $3.7 million through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, supported through provincial investments and federal funding under the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, said having before- and after-school care at schools can provide families with support closer to home.
“Expanding access to before- and after-school care on school grounds gives children a strong foundation in the safe and welcoming spaces they already know and trust,” Beare said.
More school investment in North Vancouver
Cloverley Elementary is part of a larger provincial investment in North Vancouver schools.
Since 2017, the Province says it has committed more than $230 million to create more than 1,000 new student seats and 3,150 seismically safer seats in the North Vancouver School District.
The investments include seismic upgrades at Mountainside Secondary and Argyle Secondary, as well as a seismic replacement and expansion project at Handsworth Secondary that includes 200 new seats.
Additions at Lynn Valley Elementary and Westview Elementary have also created 145 and 100 new student seats, respectively. Both opened earlier in 2026.
The province also provided more than $6 million to the North Vancouver School District for the 2025–26 school year through minor capital programs, including building maintenance, repairs and energy-efficiency upgrades.
Eight new or upgraded playgrounds have also received funding at schools across the district.
Province says nearly 50,000 new seats approved since 2017
The school projects in North Vancouver form part of a much larger provincial school-building program.
Since 2017, the Province says it has approved more than $7 billion for projects creating nearly 50,000 new student seats and nearly 40,000 seismically safer seats throughout B.C.
Nearly 25,000 new student seats and 34,000 seismically safer seats are now in use across the province.
Anna Gainey, Secretary of State for Children and Youth, said the new child-care spaces at Cloverley will give more families access to care while supporting parents participating in the workforce.
North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan said access to affordable child care is an important part of building a complete and liveable community.
Susie Chant, MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour, said families in the growing Cloverley neighbourhood had been waiting for the new school and child-care spaces.
“Cloverley School is in a growing neighbourhood,” Chant said. “Families here have been waiting patiently for the school and child care spaces that they need.”
The Province says its broader school capital program is intended to keep pace with population growth while providing students with safe, modern places to learn.
Key Facts
23 — new and improved schools opening across B.C. in September 2026
585 — student seats at the new Cloverley Elementary
92 — new licensed child-care spaces
$61 million — provincial investment in Cloverley Elementary
35 years — since North Vancouver last opened a new elementary school
$7 billion+ — provincial school capital projects approved since 2017
Nearly 50,000 — new student seats approved across B.C. since 2017
Learn More
Information about B.C. school capital projects and child-care programs is available through the Province of British Columbia and ChildCareBC.
StudioX News Canada — Local information. Canada-first.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, Unifor, NEPMCC, and the Canada Freelance Union. Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
