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‘It’s a beautiful, beautiful school:’ École Snokomish Elementary opens for students in Sullivan

snokomish-elementary-16x9.jpgSurrey's newest school is open! École Snokomish Elementary -- a new 27-classroom, 655-seat school in the Sullivan area -- is welcoming students from Cambridge, Goldstone Park, Sullivan and École Woodward Hill elementary schools. The three-storey school was built with the First Peoples Principles of Learning in mind and recognizes the Indigenous history of the area. (Photo by Surrey Schools)

Today marks the return to class from winter break, and more than 420 students in the Sullivan area are starting 2026 with a brand new school!

Surrey Schools rang in the new year with the opening of the much-anticipated École Snokomish Elementary, a new 27-classroom school located at 14778 58B Ave. for up to 655 kindergarten to Grade 7 students. The school was named with considerable consultation and collaboration with the Semiahmoo First Nation (SFN) to honour and recognize the Indigenous history of the area.

“It is a beautiful, beautiful school,” said principal Laura Grills. “It was built with the First Peoples Principles of Learning in mind, so the design of the building is built like an Indigenous wheel. When you come inside, there’s a centre courtyard and the classrooms go all the way around the outside.

“The design on the building itself was gifted by [senior Indigenous language and cultural facilitator] Paula James, and the outside tiling is based on a Coast Salish weaving pattern. There are diamond patterns throughout that are built into the structure that incorporate that design.”

The name Snokomish was selected following discussions with SFN Chief Harley Chappell, referring to an Indigenous community that lived near the site of the school, in the area of the Serpentine and Nicomekl rivers and south. The Snokomish were greatly reduced by smallpox and influenza, and survivors joined the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations.

Standing three storeys, the school will provide relief to overcrowding at nearby Cambridge, Goldstone Park, Sullivan and École Woodward Hill elementary schools, while also inheriting Woodward Hill’s French Immersion program. Many of the transferring students had the chance to tour the school before opening, getting a sneak peek of the classrooms that they’ve seen under construction for the past few years.

“Most of them live in the area, they’ve watched it being built and they are beyond excited to be in this building,” said Grills. “They feel it kind of looks like a high school so they feel they’re in this really special school and have all these really cool things.”

Each floor of the school features something different, from multipurpose rooms on the bottom to maker spaces on the top, as well as a music room, library, breakout spaces, a gym with floor-to-ceiling windows and a Neighbourhood Learning Space for daycare and before and after school care.

“The school itself has a lot of outdoor focus,” said Grills. “The courtyard will be used as a classroom and we have plans for gardens to be built. It’s a gorgeous place and the kids were just blown away.”

While Snokomish was previously scheduled for occupancy in the spring of 2026, the school was able to open ahead of schedule thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in its planning, design and construction.

The district’s Capital Project Office currently has 11 additions in various stages of progress (listed below). Earlier this year, the Surrey Board of Education approved the district’s 2026-27 five-year capital plan requesting $5.7 billion from the Ministry of Education and Child Care for 76 major capital projects to address the ongoing need for more student spaces.

Elementary Additions

Secondary Additions

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School District No.36 (Surrey)