Where do I register my child for school in SD43?

At your neighbourhood catchment school, the one the School Locator tool gives you for your home address. There is no central registration office for regular enrolment.

How do I submit the SD43 registration form?

It goes in by email. You send the New Student Registration Form and your documents to your catchment school's email address, and kindergarten and general registration both work this way.

When can I register a child who is moving into SD43?

You can register at any time of year. There is no window to wait for, so you contact the catchment school for your new address whenever you arrive.

When does SD43 kindergarten registration happen?

It runs in early February. For September 2027 entry the dates are February 1 to 4, 2027.

What if I want a school other than my catchment one?

You register at your SD43 catchment school first, then apply during the district's cross-catchment window in early February. Placement runs on a random draw and is not guaranteed.

Registering your child in SD43: where, how, and what documents you need

Q: My child was born in December. Can they still start kindergarten?

Yes. In SD43 the rule is five years old by December 31 of the year they register, so a December birthday counts.

The steps at a glance

Find your catchment school. Your catchment school is set by your permanent home address, so put your address into the SD43 School Locator tool and it tells you which school your child goes to.

Gather your documents. The school needs to see that you live in BC and that you are the child's guardian, along with documents for the child's age and identity and for your own status in Canada. The exact list is below.

Submit to that school by email. Fill out the New Student Registration Form and email it with your documents to your catchment school. If you get stuck, phone or email the school and someone will walk you through it.

Want a different school? SD43 runs a separate cross-catchment window in early February (roughly February 5 to 10 for the 2027-2028 year). You register at your catchment school first, then apply. Placement runs on a random draw, so it is not guaranteed. If you are trying to sort out which school is even yours after the recent boundary moves, the Port Moody catchment changes page covers that.

What documents you need

The registration form asks for four things, and where the exact wording matters, here it is as the form states it.

Residency. Three documents showing the guardian's name and BC address: one primary document (a long term tenancy agreement, property purchase agreement, income tax statement, or property tax statement) plus two secondary documents (things like a BC driver's license, BC ID, BC Services Card, a Canadian bank or credit card statement, ICBC vehicle registration, or a utility bill).

Guardianship. The child's birth certificate with parent names listed, or court ordered documentation showing guardianship.

The child's age and identity. A Canadian birth certificate, passport, or citizenship card, or a Certificate of Indian Status. If the child has none of those, the form asks for a passport plus one status document (permanent resident card, refugee documentation, study permit, or visitor record).

Your status in Canada. One document such as a Canadian birth certificate, passport, or citizenship card, a Certificate of Indian Status, refugee documentation, or proof of diplomatic status. Work permit and study permit holders have their own requirements, spelled out on the form.

The principal can ask for more documents to confirm eligibility, so it is worth bringing everything you have.

Starting kindergarten

Your child can register for kindergarten if they will be "five years old by December 31 of the year they register." So a child turning five any time in the calendar year can start that September, even a December birthday.

Kindergarten registration for September 2027 entry runs February 1 to 4, 2027. You register by emailing the New Student Registration Form and your documents to your catchment school. It is fine to register even if you are not certain about the year, since the office can sort out the details with you. Keep in mind that schools are closed over July and August, so a summer email will not get answered until staff are back.

In the first days of kindergarten the district eases children in gradually rather than starting everyone full-time at once, and your child's teacher emails you the plan for your class.

Moving mid-year

You do not have to wait for a registration window. Families moving into the district can register at any time by visiting or contacting their catchment school. Same form, same documents, sent to the school that covers your new address.

New to Canada

If you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, of Indigenous ancestry, or a refugee, and you live in BC as the child's parent or legal guardian, you register directly at your catchment school the same way everyone else does. If you are here on a work permit, study permit, diplomatic status, or a visitor record, or you are not the child's parent or legal guardian, or you do not live in BC, you go through SD43 International Education instead of the catchment school. The district's registration for non-Canadians page lays out which path is yours and who to contact.