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Rationale for Closure

Why Closure Is Being Considered 

+ The property is not used as a school 
  • Carleton Elementary has not enrolled students since the 2015–2016 school year following a fire.
  • The provincial government did not approve multiple funding requests from VSB to repair and seismically upgrade the school. 
  • The school buildings are significantly damaged and not suitable for use.
  • The site is vulnerable to vandalism, graffiti and flooding, and continues to deteriorate.
  • Significant resources are spent every year for maintenance, security, inspections, groundskeeping and utilities at this non-enrolling site.
  • To return the school to a suitable condition, a major renovation or full replacement would be necessary and would need major capital funding from the Province.
  • No short-term solution for reopening is available.

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(Images of interior deterioration and water inundation captured in winter 2024/2025)

+ No students currently attend Carleton Elementary
  • All students who previously attended Carleton are now attending or have graduated from secondary school.
  • Families in the former Carleton catchment have access to nearby schools.
+ Future enrolment and effective management of VSB schools 
  • Carleton is rated H1 for seismic risk - the highest category.
  • No seismic upgrades or school replacement projects are currently prioritized or supported by the Province for Carleton Elementary.
  • With space available in nearby schools, capital investment in other areas with enrolment pressure is the priority.
+ Interest from Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF)

The VSB has a constitutional duty to reasonably consider and proportionately balance minority language rights under s. 23 of the Charter against the VSB’s statutory framework. Section 23 of the Charter ensures that francophones in British Columbia are entitled to have their children attend French first language education. The Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) is a francophone public school board that represents s. 23 rightsholders and provides francophone education throughout British Columbia, including the City of Vancouver.

On May 23, 2025, the British Columbia Supreme Court, in Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia and Vancouver School Board, 2025 BCSC 962, declared that:

In addressing the [CSF]’s requests for underutilized or surplus sites and facilities, the [VSB Board] must reasonably consider and proportionately balance the importance of minority language education as a value underpinning section 23 of the Charter.

In January 2024, the CSF made a request to the Board to acquire Sir Guy Carleton for a new CSF secondary school. In July 2024, the CSF provided additional information about their need for a second secondary school in Vancouver. In 2024, the VSB was still updating its enrolment projections and declined to make a decision regarding Sir Guy Carleton until the updated enrolment projections were available.

The VSB recently updated its enrolment projections. Therefore, the Board is considering the closure of Carleton elementary school. In doing so, the Board must consider the needs of the CSF and the importance of minority language rights in Canada. 


Why Now?

The process for considering the closure of Carleton Elementary began in June 2023. However, engagement was paused to assess the impact of changes to provincial housing initiatives, changing City of Vancouver zoning conditions and the impacts these factors would have on enrolment.

Updated enrolment projections were presented to the Board in June 2025 that confirmed nearby schools can continue to accommodate students in the short and long-term. With this critical information, it is now possible to re-start the process and determine whether or not to close Carleton Elementary.

Current space utilization and enrolment projections

In June 2025 updated enrolment projections were provided to the Board outlining several forecasts with two being broken down by catchment. Enrolment projections are a foundational component of the VSB’s Long-Range Facilities Plan, guiding both operational and capital planning decisions. However, all projection methodologies represent a snapshot in time.

The preferred model for short- and medium-term planning is the “Baragar Plus Local Knowledge Added” scenario. This approach integrates baseline demographic projections with local development data and student yield assumptions, resulting in a more refined and context-sensitive forecast. This model will be used to inform the District’s Five-Year Capital Plan and other strategic planning initiatives.

While the “Baragar Plus Local Knowledge Added” model is most appropriate for near- and mid-term planning, longer-term projections—such as those from Metro Vancouver—can supplement strategic decisions related to land use, school site acquisition, and Board Policy 20 considerations. These high-growth scenarios are particularly useful for evaluating long-term infrastructure needs through to 2050 and beyond, especially in coordination with the City of Vancouver and UBC/UEL, who rely on Metro forecasts for regional growth planning.

Carleton is situated in the Joyce-Collingwood neighbourhood of Vancouver. Current data shows relatively stable student enrolment in this neighbourhood and that increased student enrolment from new developments in the area can be accommodated within existing nearby school facilities. 

If student enrolment were to exceed the current projections, there is still sufficient space in the area to accommodate an increased number of school-aged children by increasing capacity at nearby schools.

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As identified in the graphic above, the schools in proximity to Carleton Elementary (Cunningham, Norquay, Grenfell, Bruce, Weir, MacCorkindale) have an anticipated 50% to 100% utilization rate in 2039. These rates are for existing enrolling sites only and do not consider the unused capacity of Carleton Elementary.



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