# School District 36 Surrey

School District 36 Surrey operates schools in Surrey, White Rock, and Barnston Island, British Columbia. It is the largest school district in British Columbia with 80,208 students and 195+ languages represented during the 2022-23 school year. District 36 includes 103 elementary schools, 21 secondary schools, 5 learning centres, and 3 adult education centres. While the district was established in 1906 its first school opened in 1882. The district is Surrey’s largest employer with 12,540 employees including 6,716 teachers.

## Administration

The Surrey School District's administration hub is the District Education Centre and was officially opened on September 11, 2011.

## Schools
### Elementary schools

| School | Location | Grades | Notes |
| Adams Road Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | Adams Road opened in January 2011, located in the Cloverdale/Clayton area of Surrey. Enrollment at that time was approximately 550 students. |
| A H P Matthew Elementary School | Whalley / City Centre | K-7 | |
| A J McLellan Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | |
| Anniedale Traditional School | Port Kells | K-7 | Closed in 2010. |
| Bayridge Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | Opened 1992. |
| Bear Creek Elementary School | Newton | K-7 | Opened 1964. |
| Beaver Creek Elementary School | West Newton | K-7 | Principal is Karen Greaux. |
| Berkshire Park Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | Opened March 21, 1989. Expanded 2000. Principal is Trevor Mcquarrie. Hosts Challenge Program and the Multi-Age Cluster Class (MACC). |
| Betty Huff Elementary School | Whalley | K-7 | Opened 1976. |
| Bonaccord Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | |
| Bothwell Elementary School | Guildford / Fraser Heights | K-7 | |
| Boundary Park Elementary School | West Newton | K-7 | |
| Bridgeview Elementary School | Bridgeview / Whalley | K-7 | The school's mascot was a lion but is now a bear. |
| Brookside Elementary School | Newton | K-7 | The school's mascot is the bobcat. |
| Cambridge Elementary School | South Newton / Panorama | K-7 | Cambridge Elementary opened in 2006. It received a four-class addition in 2011 to try to get rid of the portables. It feeds into Sullivan Heights Secondary School. Today it is a well known elementary in South Newton Surrey with an enrolment of around 770 students with 33 divisions. It houses 12 portables plus one portable bathroom. It has approximately 23 students per class. The principal is Shawn Nelson. |
| Cedar Hills Elementary School | Whalley | K-7 | Principal is Ms. Douglas. |
| Chantrell Creek Elementary School | Crescent Park / South Surrey | K-7 | Ms. Koppensteiner is the principal. School mascot is an eagle. Hosts the Multi-Age Cluster Class program (MACC). |
| Chimney Hill Elementary School | East Newton | K-7 | mascot is the dragons |
| Cindrich Elementary School | Whalley / City Centre | K-7 | Mrs. Maharaj is the principal. Their mascot is a coyote. |
| Clayton Heights Elementary School | Clayton | 4-7 | |
| Cloverdale Traditional School | Cloverdale | K-7 | |
| Coast Meridian Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | |
| Colebrook Elementary School | Panorama / South Newton | K-7 | |
| Cougar Creek Elementary School | West Newton | K-7 | |
| Coyote Creek Elementary School | West Newton | K-7 | |
| Creekside Elementary School | Whalley / City Centre | K-7 | |
| David Brankin Elementary School | Whalley | K-7 | |
| Discovery Elementary School | Surrey | K-7 | |
| Dogwood Elementary School | Fraser Heights / Guildford | K-7 | Has approximately 400 students |
| Don Christian Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | |
| Douglas Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | Founded: November 2020. Principal: Sundeep Chohan |
| Dr. F.D. Sinclair Elementary School | Newton | K-7 | |
| Edgewood Elementary School | South Surrey / Grandview Heights | K-7 | |
| East Clayton Elementary School | Clayton | K-3 | |
| East Kensington Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | |
| École Crescent Park | Crescent Park / South Surrey | K-7 | |
| École Henry Bose Elementary School | Newton | K-7 | |
| École Riverdale Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | |
| Ellendale Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | |
| Erma Stephenson Elementary School | Fraser Heights / Guildford | K-7 | |
| Fleetwood Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | |
| Forsyth Road Elementary School | Whalley | K-7 | |
| Fraser Wood Elementary School | Fraser Heights / Guildford | K-7 | |
| Frost Road Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | Principal is Mrs. Bertholm. Their mascot is a wolf named Wolfie. |
| George Greenaway Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | The school Mascot is an Eagle. Seismic upgrades are being constructed on the 4-7 Grade Wing. With Upgrades Being completed on the gym. The school has the Cloverdale Ball Park located Directly Connecting to school grounds. It has Approximately 546 Students. The School's Principal is Ms. B. Copeland |
| Georges Vanier Elementary | Newton | K-7 | |
| Goldstone Park Elementary | South Newton / Panorama | K-7 | Goldstone Park Elementary opened in 2014. It has approximately 700 students and opened to relieve overcrowding at Cambridge Elementary. |
| Grandview Heights Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | Closed in 2006. |
| Green Timbers Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | Enrollment 787. The principal is Glen Hilder. First opened in 1930; rebuilt in 1955. |
| H T Thrift Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | Founded by Henry Thomas Thrift. The principal is Laureen Boulet. |
| Halls Prairie Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | |
| Harold Bishop Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | Opened in 1949 |
| Hazelgrove Elementary School | Clayton | K-7 | Opened in 2009. Sports teams are the Hazelgrove Hurricanes. |
| Hillcrest Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | Hillcrest Elementary opened in 2000 with approximately 400 students. That number increased by 222 by 2008, although Hazelgrove Elementary took a few students out of the school. The principal was D. White, who retired in 2009. The school is currently in its tenth year. Has approximately 4,000 students. |
| Hjorth Road Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | Opened in 1910. Celebrating 107 years as of 2017. |
| Holly Elementary | Guildford | K-7 | |
| Hyland Elementary School | Newton | K-7 | Hosts Challenge Program. |
| J T Brown Elementary School | West Newton | K-7 | |
| James Ardiel Elementary School | Whalley | K-7 | Approximately 500 students are enrolled. |
| Janice Churchill Elementary School | East Newton | K-7 | Enrolls approximately 400 students. The principal of Janice Churchill is Ixchel Bradley-Buick. Janice Churchill Elementary School is located in the centre of Surrey, BC. It is named after a highly respected teacher who lost her battle to skin cancer at a young age. The school's mascot is a cheetah. |
| Jessie Lee Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | Hosts Strongstart program. |
| K B Woodward Elementary School | City Centre / Whalley | K-7 | |
| Katzie Elementary School | Clayton | K-7 | Opened in 2013. The school's mascot is the eagle. The principal is Ross Brennan. Enrolment is approximately 900. |
| Kennedy Trail Elementary School | West Newton | K-7 | |
| Kensington Prairie Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | |
| Kirkbride Elementary School | Whalley | K-7 | Principal is Jagdeep Dhaliwal. |
| Laronde Elementary School | South Surrey / Crescent Park | K-7 | French immersion school. |
| Latimer Road Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | |
| Lena Shaw Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | |
| M B Sanford Elementary School | East Newton | K-7 | |
| Maple Green Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | |
| Martha Currie Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | |
| Martha Jane Norris Elementary School | West Newton | K-7 | |
| Mary Jane Shannon Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | |
| McLeod Road Elementary School | South Newton/Panorama | K-7 | |
| Morgan Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | |
| Mountainview Montessori School | Guildford | K-7 | |
| Newton Elementary School | Newton | K-7 | |
| North Ridge Elementary School | South Newton / Panorama | K-7 | |
| Ocean Cliff Elementary School | Crescent Park / South Surrey | K-7 | School opened in September 1990. |
| Old Yale Road Elementary School | Whalley / City Centre | K-7 | Opened October 23, 1964. The current mascot is an orca. |
| Pacific Heights Elementary School | South Surrey / Grandview Heights | K-7 | Opened in 2006. The school's mascot is a phoenix. |
| Panorama Park Elementary School | South Newton / Panorama | K-7 | |
| Peace Arch Elementary School | White Rock | K-7 | Hosts Challenge program. The mascot is a raven. |
| Port Kells Elementary School | Port Kells | K-7 | The school's mascot is a panther. |
| Prince Charles Elementary School | Whalley / Bridgeview | K-7 | The school's mascot is a Griffin. Hosts Challenge Program. |
| Ray Shepherd Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | The school's mascot is a Hawk. Enrollment is 360 students. |
| Riverdale Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | French immersion program as well as an English school. |
| Rosemary Heights Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | |
| Royal Heights Elementary School | Whalley / Bridgeview | K-7 | Founded in 1966 by anthropologist and vocalist Adam R. Knowles. The principal is R. Holman and enrolment is about 250. The school's mascot is the lion. |
| Semiahmoo Trail Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | The school's mascot is a coyote. |
| Senator Reid Elementary School | Whalley | K-7 | Founded 1961. The principal is H. Schnee. The lead singer for the band Hedley, Jacob Hoggard, attended Senator Reid. He graduated from L.A. Matheson in 2002. |
| Serpentine Heights Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | Located in Fleetwood. The school's mascot is the hawk. Hosts Challenge Program. |
| Simon Cunningham Elementary School | Whalley / City Centre | K-7 | French immersion program as well as an English school. |
| South Meridian Elementary School | South Surrey | K-7 | |
| Strawberry Hill Elementary School | West Newton / Strawberry Hill | K-7 | Strawberry Hill Elementary is a learning community with 570 students, 378 families and 58 staff members. The community has evolved into one consisting largely of Indo-Canadian and Pak-Canadian families. Most of the students speak Punjabi, English, Urdu or Hindi, with the remaining students speaking a variety of other different languages. Strawberry Hill Elementary opened in 1983. |
| Sullivan Elementary School | South Newton / Panorama | K-7 | Sullivan Elementary School is in the Sullivan Heights neighbourhood with an enrolment of around 295 students (2018/2019). It is getting an addition so it can provide space for more students. |
| Sunnyside Elementary | South Surrey / Grandview Heights | K-7 | Sunnyside Elementary is a dual-track school that offers a Montessori program and a neighbourhood program in South Surrey. |
| Sunrise Ridge Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | |
| Surrey Centre Elementary School | Cloverdale | K-7 | |
| Surrey Traditional School | Whalley | K-7 | |
| T E Scott Elementary School | East Newton | K-7 | T E Scott Elementary School is an elementary school in the East Newton South neighbourhood. |
| W E Kinvig Elementary School | Newton | K-7 | |
| Walnut Road Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | |
| Westerman Elementary School | Strawberry Hill / Newton | K-7 | |
| White Rock Elementary School | White Rock | K-7 | |
| William F. Davidson Elementary School | Guildford | K-7 | Principal is Zahara Rawji, their mascot is a dragon. |
| William Watson Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | |
| Woodward Hill Elementary School | South Newton / Panorama | K-7 | Woodward Hill Elementary serves English and French immersion students. |
| Woodland Park Elementary School | Fleetwood | K-7 | Principal is E. Harrison; vice-principal is W. Caley. The school's mascot is a wolf. |

### Secondary schools and other programs

| School | Location | Grades | Founded |
| Adolescent Psychiatric Unit Program | Surrey | | |
| City Central Learning Centre | Surrey | 10-12 | |
| Clayton Heights Secondary School | Clayton | 8-12 | 1999 |
| Cloverdale Learning Centre | Cloverdale | 10-12 | |
| Continuing Ed SD 36 School | Surrey | 11-12 | |
| Daughters and Sisters (PLEA) Program | Surrey | | |
| Earl Marriott Secondary School | South Surrey | 8-12 | 1973 |
| École Salish Secondary | Clayton | 8-12 | 2018 |
| Elgin Park Secondary School | South Surrey / Crescent Park | 8-12 | 1993 |
| Enver Creek Secondary School | Fleetwood | 8-12 | 1997 |
| Fleetwood Park Secondary School | Fleetwood | 8-12 | 1994 |
| Frank Hurt Secondary School | Newton | 8-12 | 1973 |
| Fraser Heights Secondary School | Guildford / Fraser Heights | 8-12 | 2000 |
| Grandview Heights Secondary School | South Surrey / Grandview Heights | 8-12 | 2021 |
| Guildford Learning Centre | Guildford | 10-12 | |
| Guildford Park Secondary School | Guildford | 8-12 | 1984 |
| Invergarry Learning Centre | Newton | 10 | |
| Johnston Heights Secondary School | Guildford | 8-12 | 1958 |
| Kwantlen Park Secondary School (Inter-A) | City Centre / Whalley | 8-12 | 2002 |
| L A Matheson Secondary School | Whalley | 8-12 | 1969 |
| Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School | Cloverdale | 8-12 | 1946 |
| North Surrey Learning Centre | Newton | 10-12 | |
| North Surrey Secondary School | Guildford | 8-12 | 1947 |
| Panorama Ridge Secondary School | South Newton / Panorama | 8-12 | 2006 |
| Princess Margaret Secondary School | Newton | 8-12 | 1958 |
| Queen Elizabeth Secondary School | Whalley / City Centre | 8-12 | 1940 |
| Semiahmoo Secondary School | South Surrey | 8-12 | 1940 |
| South Fraser Adolescent Day Treatment Program | Surrey | | |
| Southridge School | Surrey | K-12 | 1995 |
| South Surrey White Rock Learning Centre | South Surrey | 10-12 | |
| Student Support Centre | Surrey | 6-12 | |
| Sullivan Heights Secondary | South Newton / Panorama | 8-12 | 2000 |
| Surrey Connect Online School | Surrey | K-12 | |
| Tamanawis Secondary School | West Newton | 8-12 | 1994 |
| TREES Centre | Surrey | 8-10 | |
| Waypoint Substance Abuse House | Surrey | | |

## Budget

For the first time in history, the Surrey Board of Education passed an annual budget totalling more than a billion dollars for the 2023-24 school year consisting of $602 million for teacher costs and $451 million for all other costs. The largest sources of funds are $945 million in provincial government grants, $17 million in tuition, $9 million in investment income, $4 million in rental and lease income, and $3 million in federal grants.

## In the news

The Surrey School District was reported in the national news numerous times during the 1990s and 2000s, most notably for its stand on social issues.

### Overcrowding

Surrey had 361 portable classrooms in use by the end of the 2022-23 school year. This number had increased by 20% over the 15 years prior.

### Book banning

The District School Board was the focus of major media attention from 1997 to 2002 over its stand on not allowing books about families with same-sex parents to be included as optional learning resources. These books were requested by James Chamberlain, a kindergarten teacher, to reflect on the realities of today's families and to teach his pupils about diversity and tolerance.
A legal battle to overturn the decision to ban the three books went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the school board's decision was overturned. The judgment, Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36, cited the need for families headed by same-sex couples to be respected. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin dismissed the Board's concerns that children would be confused or misled by classroom information about same-sex parents. She pointed out that the children of same-sex parents are rubbing shoulders with children from more traditional families, and wrote: "Tolerance is always age-appropriate, children cannot learn unless they are exposed to views that differ from those they are taught at home." The legal fees ended up costing Surrey taxpayers over $1,200,000.

### Drama production

In 2005, the Surrey School District made national news for cancelling production of The Laramie Project, a play that deals with the murder of a gay university student, in Elgin Park Secondary. Advocates for the play noted that it is designed to teach tolerance toward LGBT people. The school district's administration said that the play contains sex, violence and foul language and is not appropriate as family entertainment. The decision met with outrage from LGBT advocacy organization Egale Canada. A school in neighbouring Vancouver, Lord Byng Secondary School, subsequently chose to stage the play.

### Climate change

In May 2007, the Surrey School Board made national news when it voted to instruct teachers not to show Al Gore's Academy Award-winning documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, until trustees were able to review the film. On the issue of climate change, Board Trustee and social activist Heather Stilwell stated: "I am not sure. I mean I see evidence. I think there is climate change, there's no question about that. Whether what Al Gore says about it is the truth, I have questions."

### Bible study

In early November 2009, a Cloverdale father, Paul Jubenvill, requested an extra-curricular, non-instructional, voluntarily-attended Bible club be established during lunch-hour at his sons' school, Colebrook Elementary. The school would not permit the club on their property, and the Surrey School District supported the school's position. The father argued that this ban violated the provincial BC Human Rights Code by disallowing a normally available service on the grounds of discrimination against religion. The school district was concerned that permitting the club may have given the appearance of the school endorsing a particular religious ideology. Jubenvill argued that there is a difference between endorsing a faith versus "accommodating" spiritual needs.
A complaint was filed with the BC Human Rights Tribunal; however, Jubenvill withdrew the complaint because he felt that the resulting media attention and the reaction it generated did not accurately represent his intentions and he preferred to address the matter with the school district out of the public eye.
Some secondary schools in the School District have, or have had, overtly Christian clubs (for example, LA Matheson has a prayer club titled "PUSH", Semiahmoo Secondary had a Crossroad Christian club in 2008 and earlier years, and Fraser Heights Secondary had a Bible Club in 2007).

### Roof collapse

At Colebrook Elementary in July 2010, a 75-foot portion of a roof over an exterior walkway collapsed, with no injuries reported. In 2011 the school district initiated legal action against the contractor and architect involved in the design and construction of the roof, which had been built in 1987.

### Anti-discrimination code

In November 2013 the School Board adopted an anti-discrimination code to provide protection for students and staff against homophobic and other forms of bullying. Approximately one third of all school districts in the province have policies against homophobic bullying.

## Gallery

* Holly Elementary School by day
* The moon sets over Holly Elementary School, October 14, 2008.
* Princess Margaret Secondary School
* Colebrook Elementary School; evening shot of the south wing in October 2009
* Surrey Centre Elementary School; Dec 2, 2009 (full moon) HDR shot at 11:10 pm
* Cambridge Elementary School; May 1, 2011