Beginning in mid-February, parents of children applying to kindergarten at identified full schools in Vancouver were informed about their child's enrolment status. Now that choice program offerings are well underway, the District has a better picture of the number of students still needing to be placed at schools. All students registered will be offered placement at a Vancouver school.
At present, there are 12 schools oversubscribed for kindergarten enrolment and approximately 229 students still needing to be placed at nearby schools. Full schools are defined as schools that do not have the physical space to accommodate all in-catchment applicants that completed their applications prior to January 31. These full schools include:
- Emily Carr -- 11 students still to be placed
- Edith Cavell -- 13 students still to be placed
- Crosstown -- 33 students still to be placed
- Elsie Roy -- 30 students still to be placed
- False Creek -- 26 students still to be placed
- Sir Sandford Fleming -- 18 students still to be placed
- Simon Fraser -- 55 students still to be placed
- General Gordon -- 17 students still to be placed
- Henry Hudson -- 7 students still to be placed
- Annie B. Jamieson -- 2 students still to be placed
- Lord Nelson -- 17 students still to be placed
- Norma Rose Point -- 0 students still to be placed
"The numbers of children still needing to be placed at a school fluctuates greatly at this time of year as many parents decide on choice programs," says David Nelson, Deputy Superintendent, Vancouver School District. "As schools begin to accept students who have applied for cross-boundary enrolment, additional spots may become available at full schools." Therefore, he notes, families with children who were not able to be accommodated initially may still be offered space in their catchment school.
As an example of how the numbers shift, last school year there were initially 269 catchment kindergarten students placed on waitlists at full schools. After factors such as choice program offers and cross boundary attendance decided by families, the number dropped by 57 per cent to 115 students. The 115 students were then placed at nearby schools for school start up in September.
"We understand parents' concerns and work hard to maximize the number of students that can be accommodated at catchment schools. In placing students from full schools, the District aims to place students in nearby schools with space," explains Nelson.
Although there continues to be declining enrolment overall, within certain areas there are significant challenges with student numbers. District staff take a number of steps to manage enrolment at full schools. This includes restriction of attendance by students who do not reside within a school's catchment area and renovations in schools to create additional classrooms. District staff, in consultation with the Board, may also relocate choice programs.
"As a Board we are acutely aware of enrolment pressures in some areas of the city and the resulting uncertainty and difficulties for families with children entering Kindergarten," says Janet Fraser, Chair, Vancouver School Board. "Therefore new elementary schools at Coal Harbour and Olympic Village have been priorities on the VSB's capital plan requests to the Ministry of Education for many years. The Board has taken the unprecedented step of self-funding construction of a new elementary school at Coal Harbour as well as a larger elementary school at the downtown Lord Roberts Annex site," she adds.
Other capital plan submissions include expansion requests to the Ministry of Education at schools including Edith Cavell, False Creek and Henry Hudson.
For more information, contact: communications@vsb.bc.ca
Backgrounder:
Kindergarten Enrolment
Children attend kindergarten in the same year that they turn five. The first step is registration at the English catchment school. All students are registered in their home catchment school regardless of whether families plan to send their child to that school or enrol them at another school in the District.
Parents are required to complete an online form, and then bring in their supporting documentation to their catchment school. At that time, families are advised if the school is likely to be a full school, and if so, how that may impact their child's enrolment.
Potentially full schools were identified in October 2019 before registration began and are defined as schools that do not have the physical space to accommodate all in-catchment applicants that completed their applications prior to January 31.
Students with siblings already attending a school are placed first and the remaining spaces are filled with in-catchment students. The District has not had to place siblings at separate schools during the priority enrolment period.
In the interest of fairness, the District conducts intake draws to allocate kindergarten places in schools where the number of in-catchment students registering exceeds the number of available spaces.
At this point, when space in a school is still not available, the District places students in nearby schools with space.
Parents also have options to apply to District choice programs or for a cross boundary placement at a Vancouver school outside their catchment area.
Should a family decide to accept a place for their child in a District choice program or to a cross boundary school, their child's name remains on the home catchment school's waitlist until a place at that school is offered. If the family declines that offer, their child will then be removed from the waitlist. The same process applies for children who were placed at nearby schools. Children who were placed at a school outside their catchment area may be offered enrolment at their catchment school if it becomes available. Even though they have been placed at another school, they too remain on the catchment school's waitlist. Children's names are only removed from that list if and when they have been offered a place at their catchment school and the family declines that offer of space.
Aside from full schools, once all Elementary schools receive staffing, they may be additional students that need to be accommodated at other schools.
Key Dates
November 1 - last weekday of January - priority enrolment for children attending Kindergarten for the following September.
January 13 - February 4 - Choice program application process open.
February 1 - February 28 - Cross Boundary application process open.
February 19 - Kindergarten parents of children applying to full schools informed of placement at school or number on waitlist.
March/April - Additional parents of students at schools not identified as full informed of enrolment status at their school.
Mid-April - All students placed on a waitlist will be offered a placement at a school that is as near as possible to their catchment school.
The results of cross-boundary applications are decided once students from the waitlist full schools have been placed at a nearby school.
More information can be found on our FAQs for kindergarten enrolment.
