New School

Province okays school district plan for new elementary school in Batchelor Heights

Apr 25, 2022 | 10:22 AM

KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops-Thompson School District (SD73) plan to build a new elementary school in Batchelor Heights has taken a big step forward.

In a news release, SD73 Board Chair Heather Grieve says the province’s education ministry has formally supported the Batchelor Heights plan.

The district listed Batchelor Heights as its top capital priority as part of the latest iteration of its capital plan, submitted to the province in June, 2021.

The construction of a school for the neighbourhood is still years away, but Grieve says the positive response is “much needed and appreciated.”

“Our enrolment numbers are climbing by the equivalent of a medium-sized elementary school each year,” said Grieve. “This support for a new school in Batchelor Heights is a welcome sign that some relief is coming to our most overcrowded school facilities in Kamloops.”

The province still must approve funding for the project before it is a definite. The district estimates a three-year window between funding approval and school opening.

Students who live in Batchelor Heights attend Westmount Elementary, which is at 181 per cent capacity. Catchment area changes will see about 95 Westmount students redistributed to David Thompson or Westsyde Elementary Schools for the 2022-23 school year.