Relevant legislation and policy

School Act: 

Under the School Act, the Board of Education establishes for each school in its school district a catchment area consisting of a geographical area around the school that includes all or part of the school district. A board may amend catchment areas established for schools.

Policy 605: 

Policy 605: Admission of Students to School states, "The Superintendent, or designate, shall establish school catchment areas, and review on an annual basis, to ensure that each school has the capacity to accommodate the anticipated enrolment of students in its catchment area. Catchment areas shall be determined after due consideration of all relevant factors, including the accommodation available in the schools, the accessibility of the schools to the students, and the safety of the students in going to and from school."

Definitions:

Official or Nominal Capacity: 

The Official Capacity or Nominal Capacity is defined by the Ministry of Education. It is calculated using the following formula: Kindergarten classes at 20 students, and Grades 1 to 7 class at 25 students.

Functional or Operating Capacity:  

The Functional Capacity or Operating Capacity is defined as the maximum number of students that can be accommodated in a school. It is unique to each building as it depends on the size of actual learning spaces. Kindergarten: up to 20 students; Grades 1 to 7: up to 30 students.

In the North Vancouver School District, in accordance with Ministry Capital Planning instructions and Areas Standards, the operating capacity of each Kindergarten classroom is 19 and the operating capacity for Grade 1 through 7 is 23.29. It is determined using an average of each Grades 1 to 3 class at 21 and each Grades 4 to 7 class at 25.

Enrolment projections:  

Baseline projections are provided by Baragar Systems, a BC based firm specializing in school enrolment projections. The baseline is calculated based on historical enrolment trends, birth rates, Canada Revenue Agency data, childcare credit data, migration, census data, and other relevant information. The baseline does not, however, include local housing developments. 

Housing developments that are currently in construction, planned and anticipated are expected to have considerable impact on future student enrolment growth in the North Vancouver School District, especially in specific catchment areas. In consultation with the planning departments of the City and District of North Vancouver, housing developments planned and anticipated are reviewed for their potential impact within the catchment area of each school. Estimates of additional student yields from new housing developments are added to the Baragar base projection to generate enrolment projections for schools that include housing enrolment forecasts.

Yields: 

Yield factors are the number of North Vancouver School District students (K-12) expected from specific housing types. The following ranges of yield factors were used: 0.22 to 0.26 students per housing unit for townhouses, and 0.04 to 0.08 students per housing unit for apartments.