Students and families are getting a new, larger and seismically safe Moody Elementary school with room for projected growth in the community, as well as new child care spaces.

“Port Moody is a terrific place to raise a family, and we must have schools that are the right size to meet community needs,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education. “That’s why we worked closely with the Coquitlam School District to replace Moody Elementary with a school that will benefit the entire community for generations to come.”

The Government of B.C. is investing $32.2 million to replace Moody Elementary with a new facility, which will include space for an additional 115 students to meet expected growth in the neighbourhood. The Coquitlam School District will provide an additional $5 million toward the project.

The new school is expected to be ready for students in September 2024. Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2023.

“For more than seven decades, Moody Elementary has been a hub for countless children and families in Port Moody,” said Rick Glumac, MLA for Port Moody. “While so many of us have strong, lasting memories at the school, I can’t wait to see new memories created at a new facility that is truly designed to support students and their achievement in the 21st century.”

In addition to providing an improved learning experience, the new school will include energy-efficiency features, such as rooftop solar panels, to help the Province meet its CleanBC targets and reduce operating costs for the school district.  

“Our government is working with teachers and parents in communities across B.C. to create a cleaner, better future for our kids and grandkids,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “The new Moody Elementary school will improve learning environments for students and support good local jobs for people in the green building sector while reducing climate impacts and pollution.”

With support from the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, a new child care centre will be built at Moody Elementary that will create up to 60 licensed child care spaces, including up to 40 infant/toddler spaces and up to 20 spaces for school-aged children. 

“Improving access to quality and affordable child care on school grounds is a key goal in our 10-year Childcare BC plan to build an inclusive, universal child care system for B.C. families,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “By investing in more child care spaces on school grounds, we’re making pickups and drop-offs easier for families, and helping young children develop a lifelong love of learning.”

The new school will be built on the same site as Moody Middle school, which was replaced in 2018. This will give parents who have children attending both schools a more convenient drop-off location and provide the option for the current site to be used for a new facility to support future enrolment growth.

“The board of education is grateful for the announcement of the seismic replacement of Moody Elementary and especially pleased with the inclusion of a neighbourhood learning centre to provide expanded daycare opportunities and facilitate before- and after-school care,” said Kerri Palmer Isaak, chair, Coquitlam Board of Education. “The surrounding community continues to grow, and this replacement school will meet the needs of families in the area for years to come.”

This investment is part of the work the Province is doing to improve schools for students in the Tri Cities and throughout B.C.

In fewer than four years, the Province has approved nearly $135 million for seven major school capital projects in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, adding more than 1,000 new student seats to the district so more students can have a better learning experience.