The provincial government announced funding Tuesday for a new 480-seat elementary school in the fast-growing Latoria community of south Langford.
The as-yet-unnamed $39.6-million school, located north of the intersection of Latoria Road and Klahanie Drive, is expected to welcome its first students in the fall of 2025.
“We are very pleased with today’s announcement,” said Ravi Parmar, board chair for the Sooke School District, noting the school is needed to support the ever-growing enrolment of students in Langford. “Young families are moving into the district and we are seeing record-breaking enrollment every year.”
The district has seen the most growth per capita in the province, with close to 800 new students every year, he said.
Parmar said the district plans to put out an invitation to tender in the fall for the new school, and expects to see shovels in the ground next year.
“Most of the legwork, including the design, has already been done,” he said. “We will work very quickly and will streamline the project going forward.”
The new school joins two others set to open this fall in west Langford: Pexsisen Elementary, with a capacity for 500 students, and Centre Mountain Lellum middle school, for 700 students.
Since 2017, the Sooke School District has received a total of $227 million from the province for new and expanded schools, creating 2,280 new student seats to serve the region.
The new school, to be built using mass timber, will include a neighbourhood learning centre, which will be used for community programs such as child care.
Environmentally friendly features include the use of heat pumps, thick exterior wall insulation and unit ventilators. The province says the school will be built with a design that focuses on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions during construction and operation.
The province provided the Sooke School District $7.7 million to purchase the Latoria Road school site in July 2020. The school district contributed $960,000 toward the acquisition cost.
