Surrey School District 36: A Parent's Guide to the Local School System
School District 36 is one of BC's largest and most diverse. Here's what parents new to Surrey — or new to the BC school system — need to know.
Surrey School District 36 is one of the largest school districts in British Columbia, serving over 75,000 students across more than 130 schools. If you're new to Surrey — or new to BC's education system — here's what you need to know.
How BC Schools Are Structured
BC schools run from Kindergarten through Grade 12. The system is divided into:
- Kindergarten–Grade 5: Elementary school
- Grades 6–8: Middle school (in most Surrey schools)
- Grades 9–12: Secondary school
The school year runs September through June, with spring break in late March and a two-week winter break in December.
The BC Curriculum
BC uses a redesigned curriculum that emphasises three core elements: content (what students learn), curricular competencies (what students do with what they know), and big ideas (conceptual understandings). This is more sophisticated than many provincial curricula, but it also means assessment can feel less concrete to parents used to purely marks-based systems.
Elementary Schools in the Strawberry Hill Area
The Strawberry Hill area of Surrey is served by several SD36 elementary schools, including Strawberry Hill Elementary, Cougar Canyon Elementary, and Panorama Park Elementary. Catchment areas determine which school your child attends, though French Immersion programmes have separate application processes.
What to Know About French Immersion
SD36 offers Early French Immersion starting in Kindergarten and Late French Immersion starting in Grade 6. French Immersion is popular in Surrey, and spaces are competitive. Registration typically opens in January for the following September.
Supporting Learning Outside School
SD36 schools do an excellent job with the resources they have, but class sizes are large and individualised attention is limited. Many Surrey families supplement school with structured at-home practice or programmes like Kumon to ensure foundational skills don't fall through the cracks.
If you're new to Surrey or to the BC system and want to understand where your child stands academically, Kumon Strawberry Hill offers a free diagnostic assessment that gives you a clear picture — independent of any school's assessment. Contact us to book.