Charles Best to get space for 12 new classrooms next fall

Construction is set to start on a prefabricated addition that will add 300 seats and 12 classrooms to Charles Best Secondary, according to a recent release from the province.

The $18-million setup – previously set to provide 10 new classrooms – is still slated to be ready by fall. Another prefabricated building added 150 seats to the school in 2021.

The Charles Best addition comes on the heels of a 10-classroom, 250-seat addition to Scott Creek Middle.

The prefabricated can be built about twice as fast as traditional schools and at a lower cost, according to the province.

“These additions get students into new classrooms faster, while still providing the same lifespan and comforts of a traditional school environment,” stated provincial Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma in a release.

The emphasis on prefabricated buildings has resulted in space for an extra 42,000 students over the past eight years. However, some parents are concerned about the lack of a commensurate increase in school facilities.

“it doesn’t increase the [size of the] gym, it doesn’t increase the library or any of the resource areas,” Surrey Parent Advisory Council president Anne Whitmore told CBC in 2024 regarding prefab classrooms.

To deal with that challenge, “many school districts have chosen to make schedule changes to best manage their schools and access to common spaces,” according to a response from the Ministry of Education.