The West Capital Zone consists of eight elementary schools and two secondary schools and will be reviewed in two individual zones – the Pitt Meadows West Zone and the Maple Ridge West Zone.
Each sub-zone has four elementary schools and one secondary school.
Enrolment Projections
In the West Zone, the historical and forecasted enrolment is shown relative to the available functional capacity of the schools in this zone. By 2023 the schools in this zone are not expected to be fully utilized.
NOTE: Riverside Elementary was re-purposed at the end of 2009
Elementary Schools West Capital Zone
In the Pitt Meadows Zone, the historical and forecasted enrolment is shown relative to the available functional capacity.
The current and forecasted comparison of capacity and enrolment in the 4 elementary schools is as shown in the graph. Although some schools have excess capacity, the overall utilization of these 4 schools in the Pitt Meadows Zone is 103%. This is largely due to Pitt Meadows Elementary having a utilization of 123% with 1 modular and 2 portable classrooms on-site to assist with enrolment.
The high student enrolment at Pitt Meadows Elementary is in part due to the fact that this school hosts the Early French Immersion Program for Pitt Meadows and is therefore the choice school for many families in the area.
As families can chose to enroll their children in any Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows school the forecasted enrolment pressure for Davie Jones Elementary may not materialize.
In the Maple Ridge West Zone, the historical and forecasted enrolment is shown relative to the available functional capacity.
In the Maple Ridge West Zone, there is some surplus capacity in the elementary schools (330 spaces) with all 4 schools having an overall utilization of 83%.
The majority of surplus space is in Fairview Elementary and Maple Ridge Elementary which are both located on the east side of the catchment.
Although located in the Maple Ridge West Zone, Hammond Elementary hosts a K-5 Montessori Program and Laity View Elementary hosts an Early French Immersion Program for the Maple Ridge West and Central West capital zones. The enrolment in these district programs translates to high utilization for these two schools.
For elementary schools, in the entire West Capital Zone, the overall utilization is 92% and there are currently 287 surplus spaces.
Secondary Schools West Capital Zone
In the West Capital Zone, there are 2 secondary schools, one in each zone – Pitt Meadows Secondary in the Pitt Meadows Zone and Westview Secondary in the Maple Ridge West Zone.
The historical and forecasted enrolment is shown relative to the available functional capacity.
When these schools are combined, the following graph demonstrates that there is significant excess capacity in the zone that will continue until 2023.
The current capacity of the secondary schools greatly exceeds the enrolment in both zones. There is an overall utilization of 71%.
Overall, in the West Capital Zone, there are 659 surplus spaces in secondary for 2013.
Planning Ahead West Capital Zone
The City of Pitt Meadows has prepared population and growth projections for 2012 to 2023. These projections do not indicate any significant change in the number of school aged children over that time.
Similarly, The District of Maple Ridge expects only minor population growth to occur in the area served by the Maple Ridge West Zone.
Given these forecasts, there are certainly sufficient spaces to accommodate all students in the West Capital Zone for the foreseeable future, including the District’s Early French Immersion Program and Montessori Program.
School Condition West Capital Zone
There are many criteria used to evaluate a school and whether any or what investment should be made in the facility. Typical criteria are location, educational suitability, size and condition.
Some of these are subjective, but the key technical criteria are the overall facility condition, the seismic risk and building envelope condition. Explanations of these terms are included in the glossary of terms section of this report.
The facility condition index (FCI) is a tool used to identify the work that would normally be required to bring the facility up to current standards. Typically, a school condition is expressed using a facility condition index (FCI) and it is a practical tool to compare the overall condition of different schools.
Both elementary and secondary schools in the West Capital Zone and their FCI are as shown in the table. Schools with a FCI greater than 0.30 have a condition rating of “Poor”. Immediate attention to some significant building systems will be required.
The seismic risk is a consolidated risk classification for the entire school. The school district has a complete list of the seismic status by individual school block. A classification of Medium (M) means that no significant structural mitigation is required and a classification of Low (L) means there are no structural life safety risks.
Fairview is the only elementary school in the District with a current seismic classification that requires structural upgrading, however only the current area leased for childcare and the multi-purpose room are affected. The remainder of the school is classified as Medium, and the west classroom block is classified as Low.
Westview is the only secondary school in the District with a current seismic classification that requires structural upgrading, however only the central core classrooms and multi-purpose rooms are affected. The remainder of the school is classified as Medium.
Most schools in the West Capital Zone have been assessed for building envelope failures. They are shown in the above table as well. If a building envelope project is considered to be significant capital project on its own then the project will be included in the District’s Capital Plan.
In addition to their general condition assessment, the two schools with the lowest overall condition, Pitt Meadows Secondary and Westview Secondary, are both on the Capital Plan for building envelope upgrading. Also, one wing of Westview Secondary requires substantial mitigation for seismic risk.
In summary, this zone is home to the schools that require significant facility upgrading over the next several years:
- the three elementary schools in the Pitt Meadows capital zone have some of the highest elementary school FCI in the school district;
- the two secondary schools in this zone have the highest secondary school FCI in the school district.
Adding Classroom Capacity
It does not appear that additional classroom capacity will be required for schools in the West Capital Zone. Most schools in this zone can accommodate at least one additional portable classroom on-site and Davie Jones, Fairview and Highland Park Elementary schools could accommodate an addition of at least 4 classrooms.
However, both Laity View and Hammond Elementary schools have no space available for a portable or an addition.
