Common questions and answers
Which catchments are changing?
The Coal Harbour neighbourhood is getting a new school that will help meet the growing enrolment demand in downtown Vancouver. As such, the proposed catchment options are considering catchment changes to downtown schools including: šxʷwəq̓ʷəθət Crosstown Elementary, Elsie Roy Elementary, Roberts Elementary and the new school in Coal Harbour. These proposed changes are being considered as part of managing enrolment at these schools and throughout the downtown area, as well as taking into consideration distance between student residences and catchment schools.
*Note: Until the new school building in Coal Harbour opens, students currently enrolled at the new school at Coal Harbour are temporarily located at Lord Roberts Elementary and the Lord Roberts Annex site.
The following three options are being considered:
The proposed catchment boundary changes will enable families to plan for future school enrolment and to provide administrative clarity to the school district in terms of downtown student enrolment in conjunction with the new school.
Will my child have to change schools if my catchment changes?
No. The process of changing catchment boundaries will not require any students to change the school they currently attend.
Families can also choose to register in their new catchment school. If the new catchment school is full, students will be waitlisted following standard district enrolment procedures outlined in AP 300 - Admission to School.
What happens if I have a child in school now, and a younger sibling who will be entering Kindergarten in a future year?
Priority kindergarten registration is open from November 1 to January 31 every year. For families with a sibling entering kindergarten and whose school catchment boundary changes, the kindergarten student will have priority to attend the same school as their older sibling, provided they register during the priority registration period. This keeps siblings together and gives families continuity after a catchment boundary change. If families prefer, they can also choose to register in the new catchment. In this case, the student will be enrolled in the new catchment school, pending available space.
The following are the enrolment priorities when a school’s catchment boundary changes:
| Enrolment priority | Registration requirement |
|---|---|
| Catchment Sibling Priority |
|
2 Adjusted Sibling Priority |
|
3 Catchment student without sibling |
|
4 Newly Arrived Catchment student after January 31 |
|
5 Cross-Boundary student |
|
If a catchment boundary change occurs, District staff will contact impacted kindergarten applicants to confirm their catchment school. In this instance, staff will contact any family registering for kindergarten living in the catchments of Lord Roberts, Elsie Roy, šxʷwəq̓ʷəθət Crosstown or the new school at Coal Harbour.
If I live downtown, which school do I register at?
Families who register for Kindergarten living in the downtown area should apply to their current catchment. The application website is VSB Apply Now. Families can also find their catchment through the school locator website.
If a catchment boundary change occurs, District staff will contact impacted kindergarten applicants to confirm their catchment school. In this instance, staff will contact any family registering for kindergarten living in the catchments of Lord Roberts, Elsie Roy, šxʷwəq̓ʷəθət Crosstown or the new school at Coal Harbour.
Families with Grade -12 students who are new to the District should also apply through VSB ApplyNow. Families of current K-12 VSB students who have moved into a downtown catchment from outside of the downtown area should contact their previous catchment school about the transfer process.
Where can I provide my feedback on this proposal?
Before the Board makes a decision in November 2025, we want to hear from you as a community member in downtown.
There are several ways you can provide your feedback!
- In-person engagement session
- Drop-in and speak to staff during one of the dates below. You’ll learn about the proposed catchment options, criteria used to shape them and enrolment impacts.
- Elsie Roy Elementary: Oct 7, 2025, 3:00 – 7:00 p.m in the gym
- šxʷwəq̓ʷəθət Crosstown Elementary: Oct 8, 2025, 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the gym
- Lord Roberts Elementary: Oct 9, 2025, 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the gym
- Drop-in and speak to staff during one of the dates below. You’ll learn about the proposed catchment options, criteria used to shape them and enrolment impacts.
- Survey
- Live from October 7 to 17 (survey will close at 11:59pm). A link will be made public as we get closer to the date.
- Email feedback
- Not available to attend the engagement sessions mentioned above? Send your feedback to engage@vsb.bc.ca by October 24 by noon. All emails received will be shared with the Board as part of the final engagement report.
When will I know about the catchment change decision?
The Board must determine a new catchment by the November Board meeting on November 26, 2025. A November decision ensures families registering for kindergarten have clear direction about their own catchment.
Kindergarten registration begins in November and ends on January 31, 2026. Please note, kindergarten registration is not based on a first come first serve basis. Families who register anytime between November and January 31, 2026 will be given priority registration. More information can be found on govsb.ca/kindergarten.
Will King Geroge Secondary, the only public high school in the downtown area, be impacted by this catchment change?
No, this proposal will not impact the catchment boundary for secondary schools.
Will these catchment changes impact my school’s capacity?
The goal of this catchment review is to balance enrolment across downtown schools. The physical capacity of each school will remain the same. Adjusting the boundaries allows more students to live closer to their catchment school, and for more catchment students to be able to attend their catchment school. Each proposed option would result in a slightly different capacity utilization between schools as is indicated in the graphics showing the proposed boundaries.
When will the new school at Coal Harbour open?
The new school at Coal Harbour is currently enrolling students. However, the new school building at 482 Broughton Street is not yet complete. The new school at Coal Harbour school community is attending school at two temporary sites until the new building is complete.
The construction of the new school at Coal Harbour is led by the City of Vancouver. The City has informed the District that they expect the building to be complete and ready for students at the start of the 2026/27 school year. Should construction finish sooner, the students enrolled at the new school in Coal Harbour will move sooner too.
What is happening to the Roberts Annex school building? What about the Roberts Annex students?
BC Hydro is undertaking work to prepare for the construction of the new West End Substation which will be built at the Lord Roberts Annex property to replace the Dal Grauer Substation on Burrard Street. The building is currently being used as a temporary accommodation site for most of the students enrolled at the new school at Coal Harbour, until construction of that school building is complete. The majority of students who attended Roberts Annex last year are either enrolled at the new school at Coal Harbour or at Lord Roberts Elementary. Once students have relocated to Coal Harbour the Annex building will be demolished to coincide with the start of the BC Hydro project.