A new, 605-seat elementary school is coming to New Westminster.
“A safer, modern school gives parents peace of mind and it gives children a place to learn and have fun,” said Premier David Eby on Thursday. “This state-of-the-art school will provide generations of children and their families an open door to a lifetime of learning.”
The new downtown elementary school will include:
* three storeys with underground parking;
* four kindergarten classrooms;
* 21 elementary classrooms with capacity of 605 seats;
* green building design that cuts greenhouse-gas emissions by 93%; and
* electric-vehicle parking stalls.
“This is great news for families in our community,” said Jennifer Whiteside, MLA for New Westminster-Coquitlam. “This new state-of-the-art school means less pressure on students and staff, and more opportunities for kids to succeed.”
The Province is committing nearly $65 million to build the new downtown elementary school, with construction expected to start in fall 2026.
“Families in New Westminster have been asking for more school space and we’re delivering,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “This new urban elementary school will give families modern, safer learning spaces for their children, while helping New Westminster grow in a thoughtful, sustainable way.”
With this project, the Province has provided more than $142 million in funding for 900 seismically safer seats and 1,395 new spaces for New Westminster students during the past eight years. Nearly 800 of these seats are complete.
Lisa Beare, Minister for Education and Child Care, said: “This investment in a new elementary school is an investment in New Westminster’s future. This school will not only provide students with the space and tools they need to thrive, but it will also strengthen the community for generations to come.”
Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-New Westminster, said: “As a local MLA, I’ve seen first-hand how much New Westminster has grown. This new school is wonderful news for local families. It means more children will have the space to learn and grow close to home in a modern school that will become a centrepiece for the community.”
Maya Russell, chair, New Westminster Schools board of education, said: “A new downtown elementary school will provide much-needed relief from our district’s capacity pressures and give students and staff the learning spaces they deserve. The funding has been long-awaited and we are grateful to the ministry for recognizing this urgent need. Our board, partners and parents have strongly advocated for this project and we know families and staff across New Westminster Schools will welcome this news.”
Since 2017, the Province has approved more than $142 million to create 1,395 new student seats in New Westminster.
These include the following new schools and additions.
New school:
* New Westminster Elementary – 605 seats, new funding announced in November 2025.
School additions:
* École Fraser River Middle – 100 new seats, which opened in September 2024.
* École Qayqayt Elementary – 100 new seats, which opened in September 2024.
* Queen Elizabeth Elementary – a 525-seat addition that is set to open in September 2026.
Seismic replacement:
* Skwo:wech Elementary (formerly known as Richard McBride Elementary) – This seismic-replacement school has capacity to support 425 students, which is 65 more than the previous school. The school opened in spring 2022.
