File photo (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

SD73 Enrollment

Kamloops-Thompson School District eyes upcoming capacity crunch at secondary schools

Oct 29, 2025 | 4:22 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops’ first new school in more than 20 years is still on budget and on schedule to be completed in the spring ahead of the new school year. Snine will help alleviate the deluge of elementary-aged students packing schools beyond capacity on the south shore. But, even with the new school and the district reporting a slight reduction in enrolment this year, capacity challenges remain.

Overall student enrolment across the Kamloops-Thompson School District is down by less than 1 per cent but, after years of steady growth, the district is keenly aware of that the capacity pressure point is moving from the elementary to secondary schools.

“We are still going to have a large cohort of students coming through our secondary schools,” said SD73 board chair Heather Grieve, “and we need to make a plan to deal with that influx. Sa-Hali does not have space, South Kam does not have space and, to be honest, Valleyview — it’s not reachable by bus for that area but Valleyview doesn’t really have space, either. We need to start looking at our plans, continuing to push for a secondary school in Aberdeen.”

The district has been investigating pre-fab additions, viewing it as a potential quicker stop-gap solution while it awaits big provincial dollars for a new capital build.

ONE MAN'S OPINION

COLLINS: The free-for-all in politics

21h ago

CFJC-TV

Kamloops born-and-raised Dylana Kneeshaw to succeed Bill O'Donovan as CFJC-TV lead anchor

Dec 13, 2025

TWO & OUT

PETERS: Boyle's supportive housing move is data-driven decision-making gone wrong

Dec 12, 2025

“Part of the consideration for that conversation is whether or not there would actually be multi-purpose space, as well,” said Grieve. “More than just classrooms, because we know adding additional classrooms doesn’t make up for library, gym, things like that, when we actually look at the size of a school growing. It’s all part of our considerations.”

But with a leveling off of student numbers, at least for this year, that uncertainty may make it harder to convince the government to invest.

“We can’t plan on the projected possibility of an eventual arrival of an industry or a population surge,” said Superintendent Mike McKay. “We get funded for the whites of their eyes, if you will. September 30 it’s the kids who are there, not the kids we thought might have been there if this company or industry had relocated here.”

An Aberdeen secondary school remains the district’s top capital priority and request of the province.

“The plan in terms of the long range facility to have a site and a school built in Aberdeen those are going to be years out,” said Grieve. “We know with Snine Elementary, from the time it was on our capital plan to the time it’s going to open, those are years.”