100 Best Schools in Greater Vancouver & the Fraser Valley
A working list for BC homebuyers — every school has its own catchment notes and the price range homes actually sell for nearby. Curated by Dan Marusin PREC, REALTOR®, Renanza Realty.
School catchment is one of the top three reasons families move within Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. This page lists the 100 schools that come up most often in BC real-estate transactions — Fraser Institute top-ranked secondaries, IB and AP programs, popular French Immersion schools, and well-regarded independent and Catholic schools.
Each school links to a deep page with the catchment context, distinguishing programs, and the realistic price range for homes nearby in 2026. None of this is a substitute for confirming the current year's catchment with the district before you write an offer — but it's the starting point most buyers tell me they couldn't find anywhere else.
Vancouver
28 schools in this list
Lord Byng Secondary School
Fraser #21Point Grey Secondary School
Fraser #25University Hill Secondary School
Fraser #33Sir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary School
Fraser #54Lord Tennyson Elementary School
Fraser #61Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary School
Fraser #61Maple Grove Elementary School
Fraser #65Eric Hamber Secondary School
Fraser #72David Lloyd George Elementary School
Fraser #72Trafalgar Elementary School
Fraser #75Bayview Community Elementary School
Fraser #81Norma Rose Point Elementary School
Fraser #89Magee Secondary School
Kitsilano Secondary School
Crofton House School
York House School
St. George's School
West Point Grey Academy
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary
Killarney Secondary
Prince of Wales Secondary
John Oliver Secondary
David Thompson Secondary
Vancouver Technical Secondary
Vancouver College
Little Flower Academy
St. Patrick's Regional Secondary
Notre Dame Regional Secondary
North Vancouver
7 schools in this list
Handsworth Secondary School
Fraser #50Carson Graham Secondary School
Fraser #65Sutherland Secondary School
Argyle Secondary
Seycove Secondary
Windsor Secondary
Bodwell High School
West Vancouver
5 schools in this list
Sentinel Secondary School
Fraser #45West Vancouver Secondary School
Fraser #55Collingwood School
Mulgrave School
Rockridge Secondary
Burnaby
9 schools in this list
Templeton Secondary School
Fraser #85Moscrop Secondary School
Fraser #87Parkcrest Elementary School
Fraser #124Gilmore Community Elementary School
Fraser #134Burnaby North Secondary School
Fraser #189Alpha Secondary
Cariboo Hill Secondary
Burnaby Central Secondary
St. Thomas More Collegiate
Richmond
6 schools in this list
Hugh McRoberts Secondary School
Fraser #82R.A. McMath Secondary School
Hugh Boyd Secondary School
Steveston Secondary School
Cambie Secondary
J.N. Burnett Secondary
Coquitlam
7 schools in this list
Dr. Charles Best Secondary School
Riverside Secondary School
Heritage Woods Secondary School
Bramblewood Elementary School
Gleneagle Secondary School
Pinetree Secondary
Centennial Secondary
Port Moody
1 school in this list
Port Coquitlam
1 school in this list
New Westminster
1 school in this list
Surrey
9 schools in this list
Semiahmoo Secondary School
Fraser #12Earl Marriott Secondary School
Fraser #28Clayton Heights Secondary School
Fraser #195Elgin Park Secondary School
Enver Creek Secondary School
Sullivan Heights Secondary
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary
Pacific Academy
Southridge School
White Rock
1 school in this list
Langley
4 schools in this list
Langley Secondary School
R.E. Mountain Secondary
Walnut Grove Secondary
Langley Fundamental Secondary
North Delta
3 schools in this list
Ladner
4 schools in this list
Delta Secondary School
Fraser #114Seaquam Secondary School
Delview Secondary School
Sands Secondary School
Tsawwassen
1 school in this list
Maple Ridge
3 schools in this list
Pitt Meadows
1 school in this list
Abbotsford
4 schools in this list
Yale Secondary School
Fraser #96Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI)
Robert Bateman Secondary
W.J. Mouat Secondary
Mission
2 schools in this list
Chilliwack
3 schools in this list
Buying for a specific catchment?
Tell me which schools your kids need to attend (or which programs — IB, French Immersion, Mini School, etc.) and I'll run a search of every active and recently-sold home in catchment, plus a check on the actual school assignment history for each address. Free, no commitment.
No spam, no auto-funnels. One thoughtful reply within 24 hours from Dan personally.
How this list was built
No "best schools" list is definitive — every family weights academics, arts, athletics, peer culture, distance, and special programs differently. This list aims to surface schools that consistently come up as a deciding factor for home purchases in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Inputs include the Fraser Institute Report Card (most recent secondary edition + 2025 elementary edition), district academic results, popular specialty programs (IB Diploma, AP, French Immersion, Mini Schools, hockey/sports academies), and the schools that show up most often in MLS listing copy across Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
It is intentionally heavier on secondary schools (where catchment most strongly drives buyer decisions), with elementary and K-12 representation in cities where families regularly buy specifically for primary-school placement (West Vancouver, Vancouver West Side, North Shore).
FAQs
Does buying a house in a catchment guarantee a spot at the school?
In most BC districts, catchment students get priority placement — but space is not strictly guaranteed at high-demand schools. Districts publish official catchment maps and may apply secondary placements at popular schools. Always verify the current year's catchment policy with the school district before writing an offer based on a school.
How much premium do top schools add to home prices?
In Vancouver West (Lord Byng, Point Grey, Eric Hamber), top-school catchments can add 10–25% to detached home prices vs comparable homes outside catchment. In suburbs like North Vancouver, Coquitlam, Langley, and Surrey, the premium is typically 5–15%. Sometimes the catchment premium evaporates when you cross from detached to townhome or condo within the same catchment — which is one of the strategies I run for buyers who are priced out of detached.
Can my child attend a school we are not in catchment for?
Yes — BC has a school choice policy. You can apply to any BC public school, and the school must accept you if there is space after placing in-catchment students. In practice, top-ranked schools fill from catchment first; out-of-catchment applicants often end up on a waitlist. Independent and Catholic schools have their own admissions processes (typically application + interview).
Are Fraser Institute rankings reliable?
Fraser rankings are heavily standardized-test-driven and are imperfect — they correlate with neighbourhood income and don't capture school culture, special programs, or arts/athletics strength. They're a useful starting point, not a final word. For most BC families, ranking + program fit + commute + peer environment + price all matter together.
Why are some Vancouver-area top schools missing?
The list is capped at 100. Some excellent schools may be missing because their catchment doesn't drive home-buying decisions as strongly (e.g., highly mixed catchments), or because we wanted geographic balance — Vancouver alone could fill 40+ slots. If a school you care about isn't here and you're buying in its catchment, just message me and I'll add a deep page for it.