Vancouver City Council to explore adding homes near schools with low enrolment

Vancouver City Council to explore adding family-sized housing near schools with low enrolment

Artistic rendering of the new Henry Hudson Elementary School at 1551 Cypress Street, Vancouver. (HCMA/Vancouver School Board)

ABC city councillor Lenny Zhou is suggesting the Vancouver School Board’s (VSB) public school capacity should be an added factor to the suite of residential density considerations.

To optimize school capacity, he is urging Vancouver City Council to direct City staff to work with VSB on adding residential density in close proximity to schools with low enrolment or at risk of closure.

In a member motion expected to be approved by City Council next week, he specifically notes the added density should be “family-oriented” housing, which is generally defined as units with at least two bedrooms.

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“To meet the needs of the Vancouver’s growing population and to ensure that our city remains vibrant and diverse, it is important to have a varied supply of housing, including new forms of attainable and affordable housing for families with children to reinvigorate our neighbourhoods and repopulate the city’s considerable number of valuable school sites, many of which suffer from under-enrolment and risk being lost forever,” wrote Zhou.

“A known planning gap exists between the City’s growth plans and VSB land-use decisions whereby the VSB’s demographic forecasting does not effectively incorporate the City’s municipal growth projections and city land-use planning.”

Schools in the Vancouver Westside generally have the lowest enrolment rates, with the most recent permanent school closure being Queen Elizabeth Annex in the Dunbar-Southlands neighbourhood. It closed at the end of June 2023.

The elementary schools with the highest enrolment rates are generally situated within the downtown Vancouver peninsula, and False Creek South, Fairview, Kitsilano, and Marpole neighbourhoods. High demand in and around downtown Vancouver has driven continued calls for VSB and the provincial government to establish the long-promised elementary school at Olympic Village.

The high schools with the highest enrolments are King George Secondary in the West End, Lord Byng Secondary in West Point Grey, and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary in Marpole. King George Secondary is in the process of being eyed for a seismic redevelopment with an expanded capacity for up to 1,200 students.

vancouver school board elementary 2019 capacity utilization

Elementary school capacity utilization, as of 2019. (Vancouver School Board)

vancouver school board high school secondary 2019 capacity utilization

Secondary school (high school) capacity utilization, as of 2019. (Vancouver School Board)

Zhou states specific examples of schools with declining enrolment include Southlands Elementary in the Dunbar-Southlands, and Bayview Community Elementary in Kitsilano, which just opened a new $25-million school building.

Across the VSB system, overall student enrolment from Kindergarten to Grade 12 has gradually fallen from 51,758 students in 2011 to 47,386 in 2021, which represents an 8.4% drop. VSB currently forecasts further declines in the years to come, although this trend is frequently challenged by some critics and parents against school closures.

Schools in the Vancouver Eastside generally see a higher enrolment due to higher residential densities and housing that is comparatively more affordable than areas such as the Vancouver Westside.

Zhou adds that such new densification considerations based on school capacity could help the City of Vancouver meet the provincial government’s legislated housing supply targets.

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