Image: SD33

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Administrative changes

Chilliwack School District to institute major catchment change

Oct 1, 2025 | 8:25 AM

CHILLIWACK — The Chilliwack School District plans to implement a major administrative change starting today that will impact students who wish to attend a middle or secondary school outside their catchment.

According to the text of an email sent to parents on Monday, Sept. 29 by Niki Wiens, systems information and data manager for SD33, enrolment pressure continues to grow throughout Chilliwack schools. As a result, SD33 staff are taking measures to manage and balance enrolment in the long-term.

Effective October 1, 2025, students who attend schools outside of their catchment area based on residency will be required to return to their designated catchment school as they transition to the next school level. This would apply to elementary students who move up to the next grade level in middle schools, as well as middle school students who transition to secondary schools, the following year.

Families who wish to apply for an out-of-catchment placement at the next school level may do so under Administrative Procedure 337, but acceptance is ultimately contingent upon available space and the time of application.

To ensure that in-catchment students have a spot in their neighbourhood school and to balance long-term enrolment, G.W. Graham Secondary will only accept in-catchment grade 9 and 10 students, effective September 2026.

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The letter said, “We understand that this is a change, and families may have concerns. If you have specific questions about your student, please contact your school directly or E-Reg at ereg@sd33.bc.ca or 604-703-1705.”

SD33 provided the following three scenarios to better illustrate the administrative changes:

Scenario 1: When an elementary student transitions to middle school, that student will automatically be enrolled in the catchment middle school for their principal residence.

Scenario 2: When a middle school student transitions to secondary school, that student will automatically be enrolled in the catchment secondary school for their principal residence.

Scenario 3: When a student is attending a K-8 school (e.g., Rosedale Traditional), there is only one transition, and this occurs as outlined in Scenario 2.

Parents who have general feedback are invited to share their input by emailing communications@sd33.bc.ca.