Two new Maple Ridge schools open this fall with 875 student spaces

Two newly opened schools in Maple Ridge this September are adding 875 student spaces to support the region's growing population. The projects are part of a provincial push: 23 new and improved schools are opening across B.C., with the Maple Ridge pair receiving significant investment.

École Eric Langton Elementary is a seismic replacement and expansion on the same property as the old school, offering educational programming for kindergarten to Grade 7 in downtown Maple Ridge. The new facility has a capacity of 680 student seats, including 215 new seats and 465 replacement seats. The Province provided $46.4 million for the project and the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District contributed $2.5 million.

The school includes a neighbourhood learning centre for child care and community use. During the design process, the school district worked with the Katzie First Nation to incorporate design elements reflecting Indigenous ways of knowing. The building is constructed to LEED Gold standards, offering a sustainable and energy-efficient learning environment.

Golden Ears Elementary, located in central Maple Ridge and serving kindergarten to Grade 7, has added eight new classrooms with 195 student spaces. The addition features sustainable and energy-efficient design. The Province provided $12 million for this project.

Since 2017, the Province has invested in 250 school capital projects across B.C., creating nearly 50,000 new student seats and almost 40,000 seismically safer seats. In the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school district specifically, nine capital projects have been undertaken since 2017, with six now complete. Three projects remain underway: the Pitt Meadows Secondary replacement (construction expected to start fall 2026), the Blue Mountain Elementary addition (under construction, expected complete early 2027), and a seismic upgrade at Harry Hooge Elementary (in design phase, construction expected summer 2027).