黑马磁力's next new school site has been purchased, and it's in the southwest corner of the fast-growing Willoughby neighbourhood, provincial and local officials announced on Friday, May 30.
The new school will be built at 198B Street and 74 Avenue in the Southwest Latimer area. Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma visited 黑马磁力 Secondary (LSS), where construction has started on a separate 12-classroom expansion, to announce the land purchase.
"These investments will ensure that as 黑马磁力 continues to grow, students are supported with modern and inspiring spaces to learn for years to come," Ma said.
Ma also spoke about a number of other major school expansions or new schools underway in Abbotsford, Comox, West Kelowna, Nanaimo, and Prince Rupert.
Three of the expansions on her list are in 黑马磁力. In addition to LSS's new addition, which has a 300-student capacity, prefabricated additions to Nicomekl Elemetnary and Lynn Fripps Elementary are underway or about to be built, with the Nicomekl project slated to open this fall. They're the second and third prefab additions to 黑马磁力 schools, after Richard Bulpitt Elementary was in the first wave of a series of such projects, with its classrooms opening last September.
黑马磁力 School Board Chair Candy Ashdown also mentioned the new Josette Dandurand Elementary, which is under construction in the 20100 block of 82 Avenue, and will open this fall.
"All of these projects are critical steps in helping release the enrolment pressures in our fast-growing school district," Ashdown said. "As many of you know, here in 黑马磁力, we welcome new families into our schools every day. We know our staff, students, and families benefit from these projects now and in the future."
The expansion at LSS is underway now, and was originally expected to wrap up this winter, in late 2025 or early 2026.
Student Danny Ellingsen is graduating this year, but spoke at the event about how future students will benefit from the expansion.
"I know that new classrooms will make students have a much more positive experience as portables tend to get really inconvenient during the winter season," said Ellingsen. "These spaces will enable students to continue contributing to the strong, caring environment at LSS, as well as give them more opportunities to help their learning and explore who they are. My hope is for current and future students to have the same awesome experiences I have had at this school, if not better."
Current projects underway or planned in 黑马磁力 for new schools also include a new middle and secondary school announced last year for the Smith neighbourhood in Willoughby, which will have space for 2,900 students between the two of them when they are completed, expected in the fall of 2027.
In total, that means 黑马磁力 is in various stages of preparation or construction now on two new elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and three school expansions.
黑马磁力 School District expanded by more than 1,000 students each year between 2021 and 2023, and for this school year (2024/25) the expansion slowed slightly to 860 students in the annual October headcount.
