Province Authorities Announced 800 New Seats to Address Overcrowding in Surry High School

A significant expansion announced on Friday for Fleetwood Park Secondary School in Surrey will add 800 new seats to help address the overcrowding issues in the school district. The Ministry of Education and Child Care revealed a $78.6 million investment for a four-storey addition, set to open by 2029.

B.C.’s Education Minister, Rachna Singh, emphasized the need for this expansion to keep pace with the city’s rapid population growth. “As more families move to Surrey, we are working to ensure our schools can accommodate this growth,” Singh said during a news conference. “Parents want to send their kids to quality schools close to home.”

The new addition will include extra classroom space, an Indigenous learning and meeting area, a neighborhood learning center, and child-care facilities. However, concerns remain about whether these additions will be sufficient given the district’s substantial increase in enrollment.

Surrey schools have experienced an average increase of 2,400 students per year over the last two years, a significant jump from the 800 new students annually over the previous decade—a 200 percent surge in enrollment.

“This announcement is just for 800 new student seats,” said Lizanne Foster, president of the Surrey Teachers’ Association, in an interview. “It will hardly make a dent.”

Fleetwood Park Secondary, like many other schools in Surrey, has been struggling with overcrowding, often relying on temporary portable structures. Some schools have even had to turn away in-catchment students due to a lack of space. To manage the situation, a third of Surrey’s high schools will extend the school day starting next month, adding an extra learning period to increase capacity by 15 percent.

Surrey parent Cindy Dalglish, whose daughters have attended overcrowded schools for years, expressed frustration, emphasizing the need for immediate action rather than waiting five years. “Waiting five years means the problem will only worsen during that time,” she told the sources.