The first school in the Cedar Cottage area was the South Vancouver School on Clark Drive. In 1908 a replacement frame building was erected on the current Selkirk site and renamed Cedar Cottage School. In 1910 a new brick structure was added just West of the original school.

The South Vancouver School Board offered a $25.00 prize for the school that chose the best new name. Students at Cedar Cottage won and renamed their school after Lord Selkirk. During the influenza epidemic of 1918 all schools were closed. The frame building was used as a hospital.

The most recent addition, the South Wing, was completed in the summer of 2000. The school celebrated its centennial in May 2011 and hosted a gala event with over 350 alumni and staff attending. Notable alumni include former MLA Grace McCarthy and renowned artist Ken Lum.

At its peak, over 1000 students attended Selkirk School; now, approximately 700 students attend Selkirk School. The Cedar Cottage-Kensington community continues to diverse and multicultural community. Over 25 languages are spoken at the school, with the predominant languages being Chinese, Vietnamese and English.