Tuesday October 8, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Sooke School District SD62 (SD62) had in August projected a total student enrollment of 13,065 for the 2024-25 school year.
But the final K-12 Standard Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) tally at September 30 has turned out to be 13,298.
That jumps to 14,315 if including Westshore Secondary, Continuing Education, and online learning.
Growth across all grade levels:
Enrollment growth in SD62 is across all grade levels, but highest in the high schools. Elementary: 6,083 (up 2.1%); Middle: 2,974 (up 5.2%); Secondary: 4,241 (up 7%).
Elementary schools are for delivering K-5 curriculum, while middle schools have students in Grades 6 to 8. High school starts at Grade 9.
High school challenge:
“With Belmont and Royal Bay Secondary schools both over capacity, it is crucial that the proposed 2,000-seat North Langford Secondary is approved to relieve pressure on our existing facilities,” says SD62 Superintendent Paul Block.
The North Langford Secondary land acquisition was announced in August.
The SD62 schools are primarily in the fast-growing west shore areas of Langford, Colwood and Sooke. There is also an elementary school in Metchosin and a new one in Port Renfrew.
Fast-growing region:
Since 2014, SD62 has run a continually bolstered process of assessing student enrollment, finding land and funding for schools, and building schools.
They opened two high schools in 2015 (Belmont in Langford and Royal Bay in Colwood) which have both been over-capacity for the last few years.
Portables have been shifted from some elementary schools to help with overflow, and pre-fab classrooms have been constructed at two elementary schools (Ruth King in Langford and David Cameron in Colwood).
Meanwhile, the school district grapples with the challenge of finding enough usable classroom space for students in crowded situations.
===== RELATED:
SD62 gets land for new middle school in North Langford (August 19, 2024)
NEWS SECTIONS: SOOKE SCHOOL DISTRICT 62 | K-12 EDUCATION