New high school for Clayton Heights

Surrey Board of Education Chair Shawn Wilson stands at the site (72 Avenue and 184 Street) of a new high school that will be opening in Surrey in 2016.

Kevin Diakiw / The Leader

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Surrey will soon be home to another high school, which will take the pressure off over-crowded Clayton Heights Secondary.

The province announced Friday it was committing $10.5 million toward a $16.7-million school in north Clayton. The Surrey School District is funding the remainder.

The province has secured an 18-acre property at 73 Avenue and 184 Street for the school, which is expected to have the capacity for up to 1,200 students.

It will help take some of the pressure off Clayton Heights Secondary (located at 7003 188 St.), which is currently 300 students over capacity.

Karishma Ram, 15, was delighted with the news, even though she will have graduated by the time the new school is built.

"I've been at Clayton Heights (Secondary) for two-and-a-half years now, and have watched it grow," Ram told an audience gathered for the announcement in the school's library Friday. "To find out we're getting a new school in the area is very exciting."

Along with the coming high school, the province and district have secured three other sites in Surrey for additional schools at a cost of $35.9 million.

School Board Chair Shawn Wilson said it's great news that means a great deal to the residents of Surrey.

Wilson later said there are other areas that will need high schools to address overcapacity, including in Grandview, which would take pressure off Earl Marriott Secondary, which is currently 600 students over its limit, and Lord Tweedsmuir, which is 500 students over capacity.

He said he looked forward to having the minister of education back soon for more announcements.