Langley schools: a home buyer's guide

The Langley district in numbers

Langley School District (SD35) delivers programs across 46 schools spanning the City of Langley and the Township of Langley (SD35). It's one of the region's faster-growing districts, and the growth is concentrated in the Willoughby and Latimer areas, where townhouse construction has been heaviest.

That growth means new schools. Josette Dandurand Elementary opened in September 2025, and a new middle school (stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle) and secondary school (Emery Dosdall Secondary) are scheduled to open in the Smith neighbourhood of the Willoughby Slope in September 2027 (SD35). New schools mean redrawn catchments, which is the single most important thing for a Langley buyer to understand.

Highest-rated elementary schools

These are Langley's top-rated elementary schools on the Fraser Institute's 2025 report card (2023/24 data, rated 0 to 10 from standardized FSA results). As elsewhere, an independent school tops the list, with strong public schools right behind.

Top secondary schools (2020 report card)

The most recent BC secondary report card is the Fraser Institute's 2020 edition (2018/19 data), there is no newer one, so these are five-plus years old. Among Langley public schools, the fundamental and Walnut Grove schools led that edition.

Catchments and French immersion in Langley

Langley publishes catchment maps and a school locator, enter an address to find its catchment schools (SD35). In a district adding schools this quickly, the locator matters more than usual: it reflects the current boundaries, which a listing or an older map may not. Out-of-catchment requests go on a waitlist with no guarantee, so plan around your catchment, not a hoped-for transfer.

French immersion is a program of choice, Early French Immersion (Kindergarten) at Belmont and James Kennedy, Late French Immersion (Grade 6) at Alex Hope and Noel Booth, continuing to Brookswood Secondary (SD35). Langley also runs Montessori at Uplands, Fine Arts at the Langley Fine Arts School, and Fundamental programs at Coghlan and Langley Fundamental.

What this means for Langley buyers

If you're buying in Willoughby, and many first-time and move-up buyers are, for the townhouses, treat school catchment as a moving target. We've seen buyers assume a home feeds a particular school, only to learn a new school opening nearby will pull their block into a different catchment. The fix is simple: confirm the catchment on the locator for the exact address, and ask the district whether boundary changes are planned for that pocket.

Pair this with our first-time buyer guide for Langley and the catchments guide, browse Langley townhomes, or estimate your BC property transfer tax before you compare cities back on the Fraser Valley schools hub.