The B.C. government is providing $65.3 million for a new 485-seat elementary school in Kamloops.

The new school will serve students from kindergarten to Grade 7 and includes the learning centre, which will be used for programs and services, including child care, which benefit the broader community.

“Our government understands the importance of supporting families, and we know that Kamloops is a fast-growing city,” said Rachna Singh, minister of Education and Child Care. “I’m proud that we are providing funding for a new elementary school with a neighbourhood learning centre that will benefit students and families in the Pineview Valley area for years to come.”

Mass timber will be used in the new school’s design, where appropriate. It will also include greenhouse gas reduction measures that will set the building’s emissions at least 50 per cent lower than the current LEED Gold Standards. In addition, the school will be built with a climate-resilient building design that will better equip the school to stay cool during extreme heat.

Construction on the school is anticipated to start in spring 2024 and open in summer 2026.

“Our board of education is extremely pleased to receive this much-needed new school announcement, and we look forward to continuing to work with the ministry on our other capital priorities,” said Heather Grieve, board chair of School District 73.

Since September 2017, the province has invested $32.7 million, and the school district contributed an additional $1.75 million in a 525-seat addition at Valleyview Secondary, which opened last year. Construction is underway on the Parkcrest Elementary school which is set to open in 2024. That project received $34.8 million from the government with an additional $300,000 from the school district and $2.1 million from the City of Kamloops.