Transferring to a Different School

Parents can request that their child(ren) attend a different school than their neighbourhood catchment school. Approval is on a first come first served basis and dependent upon availability of space or program and staffing resources appropriate for the student. Priority is always given to in-district applicants before those out-of-district.

The child must be registered at their catchment school before submitting a cross catchment transfer application.

If you are requesting a transfer because of a concern with your child’s current school, we encourage you to discuss your concerns with the school principal before applying for a transfer.

Students who have a sibling already attending a school outside of their catchment will generally be accepted at the sibling’s school provided the sibling will still be in attendance when the student begins at the out-of-catchment school. The school district generally defines siblings as children who reside in the same household. Speak with your child’s current school office if you would like to transfer your child to their sibling’s school. 

Once a student starts attending one of our schools, they are a student of that school and the subsequent levels of school that that school feeds into (middle and secondary) unless a parent submits a request to transfer to a different school or moves out of the school district. 

Transferring for the Next School Year

To apply to transfer to a different school, parents must submit a cross catchment transfer application after the first Monday in February and by the last Friday in February, or by our late application deadline of the second Friday in May. This includes if you move and want your child to attend the new neighbourhood school in September. Completed applications can be submitted by email to student.registration@sd72.bc.ca or dropped off at your child’s school office. 

Those that apply before the last Friday in February will have their application processed no later than the end of April; if you apply after the last Friday in February and before the second Friday in May, your application will be processed by the end of May. Late applications received after the second Friday in May cut off will be processed before the first day of school where possible, but they may not be processed until the first week of school in September. 

Transferring Mid-School Year

If you’d like to transfer your child to a different school after the school year has started, you must submit a mid-year cross catchment transfer application by email to student.registration@sd72.bc.ca or by dropping it off at your child's school office. Mid-year requests will generally be approved if the requested school is not already at capacity for the upcoming September and there is availability of space and facilities or program and staffing resources appropriate for the student. 

Transfers and School Bus Transportation 

When parents choose a school other than their neighbourhood catchment school, they are required to provide their own transportation to and from as per our district’s operational procedure 380 (Student Transportation). This includes when the student moves to a subsequent level of schooling (i.e. from elementary to middle school or middle to secondary school). Parents can apply for courtesy ridership each school year, but courtesy ridership is reviewed and approved on a year-to-year basis.