Langley Schools Explained: Catchments, Registration, French Immersion and New Schools

There is one public school district for the whole of Langley, and it does not care about the City and Township boundary. Langley School District 35 (SD35) runs about 27,300 students at 46 school sites, according to its own About page. The district is a separate body from either council, so a question about a catchment line or a new school goes to the district at 604-534-7891 or the board office at 4875 222 Street, not to City Hall or the Township.

The two things to know before anything else: your address decides your school, and the Willoughby slope is being redrawn for September 2027.

How the system is laid out

Grade layouts differ. Some families of schools go from elementary to a middle school and then to secondary; others go from elementary straight to secondary. Do not assume a universal K to 7 and 8 to 12 pattern. The district’s school directory and the locator show the real pathway for an address. For example, Yorkson Creek and Peter Ewart are middle schools, R.E. Mountain, Walnut Grove and Brookswood are secondary schools, and the district’s registration pages separate Kindergarten, Elementary (Grades 1 to 7) and Middle and Secondary.

Registering: step by step

1. Find the catchment school. Put the exact home address in the locator. It also links to the catchment maps for the year. If you are mid-move, use the address you will actually live at. A neighbourhood name or a listing’s “school catchment” line is not a substitute.
2. Register at that school through the district’s process. Kindergarten is online through MyEDBC (the district recommends a laptop or desktop). The district has separate pages for Grades 1 to 7 and for middle and secondary, including a route for newcomers to Canada. Families accepted into a choice program do not register at their catchment school.
3. Upload your documents. SD35 asks for the child’s proof of age, proof of the parent’s or guardian’s citizenship or status, proof of guardianship (photo ID plus, say, a birth certificate showing the parent or a court order) and proof of residence in two parts: a mortgage statement, tax bill or rental agreement, plus a second document showing BC residence such as a driver’s licence or utility bill. Upload everything, even items the portal does not prompt for.
4. Wait for placement, then confirm the details. Ask the school about bus eligibility, before and after-school care and any learning supports. District Learning Support Services handles inclusive education planning.

Kindergarten: the 2027 intake

Children who turn five during the calendar year start kindergarten that September, so the September 2027 class is children born in 2022. The district says registration for the 2027/28 school year opens in January 2027. The previous round ran from 5 January to 17 February 2026 for priority registration; watch the district’s kindergarten page for the 2027 dates. If your child is in a choice program, apply for that separately (see below).

Asking for another school (cross-boundary requests)

Register at your catchment school first. Then get the cross-boundary form signed by that school’s principal and submit it to the school you want. The district’s boundary procedure sets the order of placement: students already enrolled, then catchment students, then other Langley students, then BC students from outside the district, with siblings and application time breaking ties. Forms open on the first school day in January, are due by May 15, and families hear by June 15, with wait lists running to September 15. Decisions for middle and secondary can continue into September. Transport to a school outside your area is your responsibility, and approval is never guaranteed.

The big change: Willoughby, September 2027

In April 2026 the Board of Education approved new catchments for the Willoughby slope, effective September 2027, as two new schools open in the Smith neighbourhood: stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle (7467 212 Connector) and Emery Dosdall Secondary. The district’s published pathways, elementary then middle then secondary, are:

If you are looking at Willoughby or Yorkson, our community school pages go further.

Programs of choice

Choice programs work by application and lottery, not catchment. The district’s APOC portal listed these in October 2026:

The window for 2027/28 ran from 5 to 26 October 2026 and closed at noon on the last day, so it has shut. Families who missed it can ask the district about wait lists or later entry; a late request does not carry lottery priority. At secondary level, Advanced Placement courses are listed at Aldergrove Community Secondary, Brookswood, D.W. Poppy and Walnut Grove, and trades pathways include automotive, carpentry and hairdressing at Aldergrove, electrical at D.W. Poppy and welding through KPU. Course lists change each year, so ask the school’s career adviser. For the French immersion policy, see our French immersion page.

Capacity, portables and new schools

Growth has outpaced some schools. The district’s own boundary-process presentation recorded R.E. Mountain Secondary at 2,552 students in September 2025 against a capacity of 2,075, with a forecast of 2,687 for 2026. The district’s 2024 facilities plan counted 37 elementary portables on the Willoughby slope, a figure more than two years old. Here is what has been built or funded:

The district’s capital plan also lists requests that are not funded, and a request is not an approval. Ask the school office what the accommodation plan is for the year your child will attend.

Independent and faith-based schools

The Ministry directory for the Langley district lists these independent schools. Each sets its own tuition and admission process, so contact the school. Check the Ministry’s inspection and profile pages and our independent schools directory for more.

The King’s School (K to 12) is also on the Ministry’s list; use its own site for its campus address. Grades can change, so confirm them with the school.

Before and after school: early learning and child care

• Licensed child care. Fraser Health licenses and inspects it. Search its facility directory, read the inspection reports and call providers for age group, hours, fees and real availability. Langley Child Care Resource and Referral (5339 207 Street, 604-533-4425) helps with searches and subsidy forms.
• Fees. The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative is applied by participating providers; families do not submit a separate application. Provincial $10-a-day centres charge families no more than $200 a month per child. Being on the provincial list means a centre participates, not that it has a vacancy.
• StrongStart. Free early learning for children from birth to five with a parent or caregiver attending. It is not drop-off care. Langley sites include Douglas Park, Donna Gabriel Robins, Langley Meadows, Parkside, Simonds and West Langley; confirm session times before travelling.
• More. See preschools and child care and school break camps.

After high school

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Langley campus (20901 Langley Bypass) teaches nursing, horticulture and brewing among other programs; see KPU Langley. Trinity Western University (22500 University Drive) is a private Christian university; see TWU. University of the Fraser Valley’s main campus is in Abbotsford. SFU’s Surrey campus offers mechatronics, software systems and sustainable energy engineering, and BCIT’s Burnaby and downtown Vancouver campuses run many trades and technology programs, so verify which campus teaches your program. Continuing education in Langley covers adult learning.

Related

Moving soon? Our newcomer checklist lists school registration among the first-month tasks. Look at the home-buying guide before you buy near a catchment line, and read how Langley’s school system works for the governance side. Weather closures are covered in Langley school snow days.