The Langley school system in one page

The City and the Township have separate councils, but their kids share one public school district. Here is how a child ends up at a school, what the choice programs are, and who is in charge of what.

One district for both Langleys

The Langley School District runs public schools across the City and the Township. It is separate from both municipal governments. The district’s About page says it serves about 27,300 students at 46 school sites with nearly 5,000 staff, and offers French Immersion, Fundamental and Alternate programs. For addresses, registration and calendars, our Langley School District page has the practical details.

How catchments work

Every address has a catchment school. The district’s School Locator finds yours by street address or housing development name, and links to the current year’s catchment maps. Lines can move: the Board of Education approves changes to school and program catchments.

Asking for a different school is allowed, and the district’s boundary procedure (Administrative Procedure 305, revised August 2025) sets the order. Students already at a school are re-enrolled first, if space allows. New applicants are then placed in this order:

1. Students living in the school’s catchment.
2. Langley students from outside the catchment.
3. B.C. students from outside the district.

Siblings get priority in the same school, and ties go by the date and time of a completed application. Forms open on the first school day in January. Out-of-catchment requests are due by May 15, families hear by June 15, and wait lists run to September 15. If you choose a school outside your area, getting there is on you, and the procedure says continuing places still depend on space.

French Immersion

Early French Immersion starts in Kindergarten at Belmont and James Kennedy elementaries, with Grade 1 entry if space allows. Instruction is all in French for the first three years; English Language Arts starts in Grade 3 and English reaches at most 20% by Grade 7.

Late French Immersion starts in Grade 6 at Alex Hope and Noel Booth, for students with no previous French. Grades 6 and 7 are 80% in French.

The district says immersion runs in four elementary and two secondary schools in total.

Other programs of choice

The district’s choice program page lists these, alongside the two immersion streams:

• Fine Arts: Kindergarten entry, Langley Fine Arts School
• Fundamental: Kindergarten entry, Coghlan Fundamental and Langley Fundamental
• Montessori: Kindergarten entry, Uplands
• U-Connect: Kindergarten entry, Simonds
• L.E.A.P. (Langley Environmental Awareness Program): Kindergarten to Grade 6, Fort Langley, with an extra application step

Applications for September 2027 opened October 5, 2026 at noon and close October 26, 2026, on the district’s APOC site. You can pick up to two programs. Montessori and U-Connect stay open until full. When a program has more applicants than seats, a random draw decides; the district expects to hold draws in November. Under Administrative Procedure 306, siblings of Langley students already in the program come first, then Langley residents, then families from outside the district. The district does not provide busing to choice programs.

Who decides what

The Province. The Ministry of Education and Child Care sets high-level policy and educational standards and allocates the money. The BC School Trustees Association sums up the provincial job as curriculum, funding amounts and the legal framework boards work within. Graduation rules are provincial too: at least 80 credits plus three graduation assessments (Grade 10 numeracy, Grade 10 literacy and Grade 12 literacy). Teaching certificates come from the provincial Director of Certification, backed by the Ministry’s Teacher Regulation Branch.

The Board of Education. Under the board’s Policy 2, it hires and evaluates the superintendent, approves the budget and strategic plan, makes policy, approves catchment changes and the district calendar, and signs off on the five-year capital plan and land deals. It also decides school closures. Policy 14 requires at least 60 days of public consultation, including at least one public meeting advertised 14 days ahead, before the board votes. The board then tells the Minister in writing. More on the board: Langley Board of Education.

The superintendent and staff. Policy 12 makes the superintendent the district’s chief executive officer, reporting to the board and running the district day to day.

Schools and parents. Each school has a principal and staff. Parents organize through school Parent Advisory Councils (PACs). The district recognizes the Langley District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) as the collective parent voice at the district level.

The 2026 trustee election

Voters elected seven trustees on October 17, 2026: two from the City and five from the Township, for a 2026 to 2030 term. The new board’s inaugural meeting is November 3, 2026, and regular meetings run at 7 pm. See who was elected.

The Langley School District Foundation

The Foundation was set up in 2001 and is independent of the school district. It is a charity that raises money for things public funding doesn’t cover. Its four priorities are food (it says breakfast clubs now run in all Langley schools, plus lunches, snacks and weekend backpacks), mental wellness (private support when cost is a barrier, through a school counsellor or principal), literacy, and student opportunities. It also manages over 300 scholarships and bursaries, and says 90% of donations go to Langley students and their programs. More on our Foundation page.

Independent schools

Langley’s independent schools are not part of SD35; the Province regulates them under the Independent School Act and inspects them.

For the councils’ side of things, see City vs Township: who does what.

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