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Vancouver Enrolment Trends

General Enrolment & Vancouver Population

While the overall population of Vancouver has increased, Vancouver schools have experienced a decline in enrolment since 1997. In 2011 kindergarten to Grade 12 enrolment was 51,758 students and in 2021 the enrolment was 47,386. This shows in the last 10 years the District has seen approximately a 8.4 per cent decline in enrolment resulting in about 4,400 fewer students.  Current forecasts indicate a further decline in the years ahead. 


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Enrolment around QEA

QEA is situated on the west side of Vancouver. Enrolment on the west side of Vancouver (west of Granville Street) has been declining for many years mirroring the decline in birth rate and youth population. Between 2011 and 2021 the number of births on the west side of Vancouver declined by 22 per cent. During the same period, the number of children aged 1 to 4 years declined by 41 per cent and the number of children in the 5 to 12 age group decreased by 28 per cent. 

Enrolment has decreased by 25 per cent between 2011 and 2021 in the area, mirroring the estimated 28 per cent decline in youth population during the same time frame. Elementary schools in this region have surplus capacity and enrolment forecasts indicate that there will be additional enrolment decline in coming years.

Note: Data for total births in 2021 will be available in the fall of 2022

Based on declining enrolment in the area around QEA, staff do not foresee impacts to surrounding schools other than QE or JQ, should the Board decide to close QEA.

Note: JQ and QEA are stable in their enrolment trend because these schools only offer French immersion, a District choice program, where the catchment area is all of Vancouver. Families from across the city choose to travel to attend the District choice program. 

Note: Enrolment trends at University Hill Elementary and Norma Rose Point Elementary are discussed under future developments 


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Queen Elizabeth Annex (QEA) Enrolment History & Forecast

The graph below shows the enrolment at QEA from 2016-2022. QEA offers French immersion, a District choice program, where the catchment area is all of Vancouver. Families from across the city choose to travel to the attend the District choice program. 



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Ecole Jules Quesnel Elementary (JQ) Enrolment History & Forecast

JQ offers French immersion, a District choice program, where the catchment area is all of Vancouver. Families from across the city choose to travel to the attend the District choice program.

Should the Board decide to close QEA, one option is to move the students to JQ in 2023. The graph below shows the enrolment history at JQ from 2016-2022, as well as the consolidated enrolment of JQ and QEA starting in 2023. If QEA students moved to JQ in 2023, JQ continues to have sufficient space to accommodate QEA students. Further information about how QEA students could be accommodated at JQ can be found under space use.  



Note: Each year, Grade 3 students from QEA move into Grade 4 at JQ. Enrolment forecasts for JQ account for this established pattern. Total enrolment forecast for QEA in 2022 is 71 (as shown in the Queen Elizabeth Annex (QEA) Enrolment Forecast). Of those, 14 students are in Grade 3 and would continue the French immersion program at JQ in Grade 4. The remaining 57 students make up the K to 2 cohorts at QEA. If QEA was closed and students relocated to JQ, 57 students would transition to JQ (who would have remained at QEA).

Note: Operating capacity is the number of students a school building can accommodate based on the total number of classroom spaces as determined by criteria set by the Ministry of Education. The operating capacity is a benchmark for the Ministry, it does not reflect the number of students that can be enrolled as that is guided by class size and class composition requirements.  As per these requirements a kindergarten class can have up to 20 students, a Grade 1-3 classes up to 22 students, and a Grade 4-7 classes up to 30 students.


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Queen Elizabeth Elementary (QE) Enrolment History and Forecast

The graph below shows the enrolment history at QE from 2016-2022. Should the Board decide to close QEA, one proposal is to move the students to QE in 2023. The graph below shows the consolidated enrolment of QE and QEA starting in 2023. After the potential move in 2023, QE continues to have sufficient space to accommodate QEA students. Further information about how QEA students can be accommodated at QE can be found under space use.  


Note: The graph differentiates QE and QEA students as QEA students will continue the District’s French immersion choice program and QE students are in the English catchment program.


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