General Principles:
Provincial legislation requires that an educational program be provided free of charge to every eligible student of school age who is ordinarily resident in British Columbia. Provincial legislation also supports choice for families to decide the location where their child will attend school.
The Board recognizes the need for specialized programs which may be available at a limited number of sites, in order to meet the diverse needs and choices of students and their families.
The placement of a student in a school will be dependent upon the availability of space, facilities, programs, and resources required to meet the needs of the student. Decisions about whether space, facilities, programs, and resources are available in individual schools or educational programs will be made by the Superintendent or designate.
The Board may assign or reassign students to specific schools or educational programs as required to meet student needs.
The Board will establish for each school in its district a catchment area, consisting of a geographical area around the school that includes all or part of the school district. The Board may amend the catchment area for a school as required.
When a parent or guardian applies for admission to a school outside of their catchment area, the parent or guardian will be expected to assume responsibility for transportation and any other costs associated with this decision.
Student enrolment will be subject to the timelines established by the Superintendent. A student newly arrived in the district may be required to be placed in another school if their catchment school does not have space, facilities, necessary resources, or an educational program to meet the needs of the student.
Students who are neither Canadian citizens nor have Permanent Resident (PR) status in Canada may be enroled in West Vancouver Schools, subject to Canadian federal government laws and West Vancouver Schools policy. Students whose families are resident in British Columbia as Diplomats, Refugees, Work Permit or Study Permit holders must apply to the Fundable Admissions department for eligibility before registering for school admission.
The district may provide for the admission of fee-paying students to district schools. This administrative procedure does not apply to fee-paying students.
School Act Definitions
The following definitions are contained in the School Act and are adopted for the purpose of this Administrative Procedure:
“Catchment area child” means a person of school age, who is resident in the catchment area of the school.
“Non-catchment area child” means a person of school age, who is resident in the school district and not resident in the catchment area of the school.
“Non-school district child” means a person of school age, resident in British Columbia and not resident in the school district.
“Previous school year” means the school year previous to the school year for which the person is applying to enrol in an educational program.
“School district child” means a Catchment area child or a non-catchment area child.
Should the definitions in the legislation change from time to time, the definitions in this administrative procedure will be deemed to have adopted the changed definitions in the School Act.
Other Definitions
“Feeder schools” and “Receiving schools” are determined by the Board. The class from the highest grade offered by the feeder school will be enroled the next year in a designated receiving school.
“Continuing student” means a student in attendance at a school or a designated feeder school during the previous school year. The definition of continuing student does not include children of applicants who must re-establish eligibility annually.
“School age” means the age between the date on which a person is permitted to enrol in an educational program provided by a Board and the end of the school year in which the person reaches the age of 19 years. Generally, a child is required to enrol in Kindergarten when that child will have reached the age of five (5) years old before December 31 of that school year.
“Ordinarily resident” means the individual has established a regular, habitual mode of life in the community with a sufficient degree of continuity which has persisted despite temporary absences. For more information about “ordinarily resident” please refer to the Eligibility of Students for Operating Grant Funding.
“Fundable student” means a foreign national whose parent or guardian is a Diplomat, Refugee, Study Permit or Work Permit holder and meets additional registration criteria annually as defined by the Fundable Admissions department. Once qualified, fundable students would be subject to the rules and procedures outlined in this Administrative Procedure.
“Guardian” means
(a) a guardian within the meaning of the Family Law Act, or
(b) a personal guardian within the meaning of the Infants Act;
1. General
Priority is given for student placement in a program or school in the following order:
1. Catchment area child with siblings in the same school
2. Catchment area child
3. Non-catchment area child with siblings in the same school
4. Non-catchment area child
5. Non-school district child of employees of West Vancouver Schools with siblings in the same school
6. Non-school district child with siblings in the same school
7. Non-school district child of employees of West Vancouver Schools
8. Non-school district child
1.1 Feeder Schools
Upon admission to primary school or elementary school, students become part of a feeder school. In a feeder school model, students advance automatically, upon completion of the education program in the current school, to their respective receiving schools.
| Feeder School | Receiving School |
| Cypress Park Primary | West Bay Elementary |
| Eagle Harbour Montessori | Caulfeild Elementary |
| Lions Bay Community School | Gleneagles Ch’axáý Elementary |
| Feeder School | Receiving School |
| Bowen Island Community School | Rockridge Secondary |
| Caulfield Elementary | Rockridge Secondary |
| Gleneagles Ch’axáý Elementary | Rockridge Secondary |
| West Bay Elementary | Rockridge Secondary |
| Feeder School | Receiving School |
| Ecole Cedardale | Sentinel Secondary *French Immersion |
| Chartwell Elementary | Sentinel Secondary |
| Ecole Pauline Johnson | Sentinel Secondary *French Immersion |
| Westcot Elementary | Sentinel Secondary/West Vancouver Secondary |
| Feeder School | Receiving School |
| Hollyburn Elementary | West Vancouver Secondary |
| Irwin Park Elementary | West Vancouver Secondary |
| Ridgeview Elementary | West Vancouver Secondary |
| *Ecole Cedardale | West Vancouver Secondary *English |
| *Ecole Pauline Johnson | West Vancouver Secondary *English |
*Ecole Cedardale and Ecole Pauline Johnson students who opt for an English high school program feed into West Vancouver Secondary.
1.2 Students who prefer to attend a district school other than their designated receiving school must make an application as per procedures below. If a secondary school is unable to accommodate all school district requests, priority shall go to those who are defined as “in catchment” and those children in designated feeder schools
1.3 Prior to February in each school year the Board will establish enrolment dates for the following:
• Catchment area child
• Non–catchment area child
• Non-school district child
• Children applying for first-time entry to kindergarten programs
1.4 The district may establish different enrolment dates for different grades, educational programs, schools, or children.
1.5 A parent or guardian who is offered a place for their child at a school location for which they have applied, must confirm acceptance of the position in a timely fashion. Although this can vary, generally this decision must be made within twenty-four (24) hours.
1.6 School district children continuing in their current school are not required to re-apply annually.
1.7 Fundable students must re-qualify annually by submitting current documentation to the Fundable Admissions department, according to their policies and procedures.
2. Placement of Students
2.1 In some instances, the requested school will not have the space, facilities, adequate resources, or appropriate educational programs required to meet the student’s educational needs. For school district children, the child will be placed on a waitlist at the requested school and the Board will arrange placement in another district school. For non-school district children, the Board may place the child on a waitlist for the requested school and the applicant may be directed back to their own school district.
2.2 If space becomes available in a requested school, placement will occur in the admission priority order listed above.
2.3 Waitlists for the current school year expire on May 30 each year.
3. Program Requirements
3.1 When applying to a specific educational program located in a school or within the district, the applicant must meet all program requirements and will be subject to the selection process determined for that program.
4. Timelines and Process
4.1 Catchment Area and Kindergarten Applications – English Program
• Registration for the next school year will open in October of each year.
• Online applications will be received, dated and prioritized for enrolment for all English language programs, including Kindergarten, for the following school year.
• Timelines will be established annually by the Superintendent.
A maximum of three (3) schools may be chosen in priority order for enrolment.
• Documentation required to establish eligibility must be provided to complete applications.
• Offers of enrolment will only be made to applicants who have submitted complete documents.
• Acceptance of enrolment offers must be confirmed within twenty-four (24) hours of receiving the offer. A child may not be enrolled in two or more schools simultaneously. Students may cross-enrol at a provincial on-line learning school.
March-April
• Enrolment at each school will be reviewed in March/April each year.
• Parents of students who remain on a waitlist will be contacted by the principal or designate to review their application and to discuss alternate school choices.
• Students may remain on a maximum of two (2) waitlists.
4.2 Kindergarten Applications – French Immersion
Registration for French Immersion Kindergarten will open in October of each year. Online applications will be received, dated and prioritized. Students with complete documents will be admitted by lottery using the following priority system:
• School district child with siblings in the same French Immersion school as at the start of the school year the applicant starts Kindergarten
• School district child of a teacher working at the French Immersion school
• School district child
• Non-school district child of employees of West Vancouver Schools with siblings in the same French Immersion school as at the start of the school year the applicant starts Kindergarten
• Non-school district child with siblings in the same French Immersion school as at the start of the school year the applicant starts Kindergarten
• Non-school district child of employees of West Vancouver Schools
• Non-school district child
Two placement lotteries, one for each French Immersion school, will be held annually. Timing will be determined by the Superintendent or designate.
Enrolment shall be awarded based on the priorities listed above.
A waitlist shall be established based on the priorities listed above for those children included in the lottery who were not offered placement
Applicants seeking enrolment in French Immersion Kindergarten after the lottery period has closed may be offered enrolment subject to the availability of space, facilities, programs and resources. Applicants may be waitlisted.
4.3 Transfer of Continuing students
• Parents may request that a continuing student be permitted to attend a different school in a subsequent school year. These requests may be granted provided a suitable program, resources, space, and facilities are available at the other school and the transfer is for valid educational reasons.
• A principal may also initiate a transfer of a continuing student based upon the principal’s assessment of what is in the best interest of that student and the other students in the school.
• A parent requesting a transfer must inform the school in which their child is currently enroled. The parent will then apply via the on-line admissions system to the preferred school.
• The principal of the school that the child currently attends and/or the principal of the school requested may require an interview with the parent and/or the student in order to discuss the requested transfer.
• The principal is responsible for determining final acceptance or denial of the transfer request. The decision will be based upon the availability of space, facilities, resources, and the ability to provide an appropriate educational program for the transferring student. The principal will also verify the transfer is for valid educational reasons.
• Parents and/or documented legal guardians of continuing students transferred to a school outside of their catchment area will be responsible for their own transportation and any other costs associated with this decision.
• Late applications for transfers to another school may not be reviewed until after September enrolments are confirmed.
5. Non-catchment area and non-school district students
January
• Registration for non-catchment area and non-school district students in grades 1-12 for the next school year will open in January of each year.
• Online applications will be received, dated, and prioritized for enrolment for all English language programs, including Kindergarten, for the following school year.
• Timelines will be established annually by the Superintendent.
• A maximum of three (3) schools may be chosen in priority order for enrolment.
• Documentation required to establish eligibility must be provided to complete applications.
• Offers of enrolment will only be made to applicants who have submitted complete documents.
• Acceptance of enrolment offers must be confirmed within twenty-four (24) hours of receiving the offer. A child may not be enrolled in two or more schools simultaneously. Students may cross-enrol at a Provincial on-line learning school.
• Schools may establish a wait list for non-catchment area and non-school district children who have submitted complete documents.
Unconfirmed Students in September
An enroled student will be removed from the school’s register if the student has not returned to school by 3:00 pm on the Thursday after school opening. Parents/Guardians who have concerns about arriving by this date should address their concern with the school principal well in advance of the start of the school year. The principal or designate, shall in a timely way, inform the parent/guardian whether a later start date is possible. Generally speaking, schools are not able to guarantee spots will be available for students who arrive after this date.