More seats, more meals: What's new for Surrey Schools in 2026-27

Students are back in class this week and the district has plenty on its plate: new classroom spaces opening across the district, a major push to get free and low-cost food into more schools and continued, strong advocacy for our children when it comes to artificial intelligence, especially around safety, privacy and responsible use.

Surrey Schools remains one of B.C.’s largest and one of the fastest-growing school districts and this year's changes reflect that ongoing balancing act: keeping pace with enrolment growth while rolling out new ways of supporting staff and students.

Here's a look at what's different this year.

Five prefab additions coming online:

Two of five planned prefabricated classroom additions were ready to welcome students and staff for the first day of school: Martha Currie Elementary and Latimer Road Elementary. The three remaining additions are set to follow in winter 2027 and will be at Old Yale Road, William Watson and George Greenaway elementary schools.

More secondary classrooms:

• Crews have started work on a new addition at Tamanawis Secondary. Once complete, it will add 575 seats along with 16 general instruction classrooms, two science rooms, an art room, two drama rooms, a foods room, a technology room and a neighbourhood learning centre for childcare.
• Construction has also begun on a new 1,000-seat addition at Clayton Heights Secondary, the biggest expansion in Surrey Schools history.
• Further down the pipeline, the long-planned four-storey addition at Fleetwood Park Secondary, 32 classrooms that will grow the school's capacity from 1,200 to 2,000 students, is set to begin construction in winter 2027.
• Additions at Grandview Heights Secondary, Guildford Park Secondary and Kwantlen Park Secondary also remain underway.

(Track the latest on new schools and additions across Surrey and White Rock on the district's School Construction Progress Chart.)

A bigger push on food security:

Alongside the classroom expansion, Surrey Schools is working toward a much broader goal this year: fully universal food programs at 91 elementary schools by the end of the school year, through its Feeding Futures program.

Where universal lunch programs are in place, meals cost paying families just $3.

This September, 82 of the 91 target schools move to fully universal lunch programs; the remaining nine will continue as subsidized-only for now, with universal status for all 91 expected by December 2026.

Breakfast programs also run in 99 schools, offering fruit, vegetables, dairy, eggs and other grab-and-go options.

Beyond the cafeteria, the district and community partners support students through snack programs, community fridges and take-home food, including frozen meals and weekend hampers, to help close gaps outside school hours.

New safety and wellbeing resources on the way:

In the coming months, districts across the province will roll out an Emergency Management Planning Guide for Schools, Districts, and Authorities, including resources for substance use education, a Student-Led Mental Health Engagement Toolkit and support for staff and communities in responding to discrimination.

Also worth noting:

• Advocating for kids on AI – As artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of everyday life, Surrey Schools continues to push for safety, privacy and responsible use ahead of anything else. The district held its first fully virtual AI information session for families this year, featuring Supt. Mark Pearmain and child and youth psychiatrist Dr. Shimi Kang, who walked parents through how to tell the difference between junk, toxic and healthy AI use at home and at school. It's part of an ongoing series of town halls, videos and resources meant to keep families informed and involved as the district works through what safe, responsible AI use should look like. More is available at surreyschoolsone.ca/ai, including the Navigating an AI Future video series and recordings of past parent forums.
  
  
• Racial equity work continues – The district is now partway through its five-year Racial Equity Strategic Plan, launched in 2023 to tackle systemic racial disparities and build more culturally responsive schools. The plan runs through 2028 and covers four main priorities: advancing equity initiatives, responding to racism when it occurs, ongoing staff training and updating curriculum to better reflect the district's diversity.