Major Capital Programs

Jun 24, 2026

School Expansion Program (EXP)

The VSB reviews its current and projected long-term enrolment demand and compares it against its existing school capacities on an annual basis. It analyzes the long-term enrolment needs across Vancouver and identifies areas where additional capacity is needed. Forecasts incorporate factors such as where students live, birth rates, migration patterns, housing developments, and geography.

When sustained enrolment pressures are identified, such as in the Downtown and Central regions of the District, the VSB then identifies and prioritizes requests for capital funding for capacity expansion. Potential projects for capital funding are weighted and ranked to consider factors like strategic priorities, expansion areas, possibilities for school replacement, and reconciliation considerations. The key objectives include:

support education programming opportunities;
enable students to attend their catchment school; and
ensure all students attend seismically safe schools.

The VSB then includes the expanded school capacity of the identified high priority projects in its annual Five-Year Capital Plan Submission. This is the mechanism by which the VSB applies for funding from MECC to support its highest priority projects. MECC requires that Major Capital Plans be approved by Board resolutions prior to submission to the Ministry annually each June. The Ministry of Education and Child Care will inform school districts of supported project(s) through the Capital Plan Response Letter the following spring. You can find out more about this process and see the most recent capital plan submissions here: Five-Year Capital Plan Submission.

Completed School Expansion Projects

The following list provides more information on the VSB’s past school expansion (EXP) projects:

PLEASE NOTE: The data contained in the individual school profiles is supplied on an 'as is, where is' basis. The Vancouver School Board assumes no obligation or liability for the use of the data by any person and makes no representations or promises regarding the completeness or accuracy or its fitness for a particular purpose.

Seismic Mitigation Program (SMP)

The Provincial Seismic Mitigation Program is a comprehensive seismic upgrading program to make schools safer in the event of an earthquake.

The Vancouver Project Office (VPO) is a joint Ministry of Education (MoE) / Vancouver Board of Education (VBE) undertaking, formed in 2014 to complete seismic projects as efficiently and economically as possible.

The VPO is responsible for managing seismic Project Teams throughout the feasibility, design and construction phases. Each Project Team consists of:

VPO staff
School principal
Consultants (architect and engineers)
Contractors

For a list of all projects in the Seismic Mitigation Program, see the Ministry of Education's Seismic Mitigation Program Progress Report.

Road to Seismic Mitigation

The following timeline explains this process from beginning to end. Click on the image to expand.

Who's involved?

The following diagram details which stakeholders are involved in the project. Click on the image to expand.

Completed Seismic Mitigation Projects

Map of Completed Seismic Projects (1996 to September 2023)

Secondary Schools

Elementary Schools

PLEASE NOTE: The data contained in the individual school profiles is supplied on an 'as is, where is' basis. The Vancouver School Board assumes no obligation or liability for the use of the data by any person and makes no representations or promises regarding the completeness or accuracy or its fitness for a particular purpose.