Secondary · Burquitlam · French Immersion Continuation
Updated September 2026 · Craig Johnston, REALTOR® V99960
A Coquitlam REALTOR®'s read on Dr. Charles Best Secondary — what the school offers, which neighbourhoods feed in, and what to know about the catchment housing in Burquitlam · Como Lake corridor.
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What should you know about Dr. Charles Best Secondary?
École Dr. Charles Best Secondary School — École Dr. Charles Best Secondary School is a secondary school in Coquitlam, serving grades 9–12 in the Burquitlam · Como Lake corridor area. SD43's primary Coquitlam-side French Immersion secondary continuation. Address: 2525 Como Lake Avenue, V3J 3R8. Phone 604-461-5581.
Verify your exact address
Check whether your address is actually inside the Dr. Charles Best Secondary catchment.
SD43 catchments are set by address, not by neighbourhood name. Enter your street in the district’s official School Locator to see the schools that serve your home. This is the authoritative source.
Verified school facts · SD43
School type
Secondary
Grades
9–12
District
SD43 (Coquitlam School District)
Address
2525 Como Lake Avenue, Coquitlam, BC V3J 3R8
Phone
Website
Administration (2025–26)
Dave Cyr (Principal)
Vice-principals (2025–26): Kelly Fridge, Michael Viveiros and Tara Sutherland.
Enrolment
Confirm current-year enrolment with the school office.
School hours
Confirm the current year's bell schedule directly with the school at 604-461-5581.
Local representation
School Trustee: SD43 Board of Education contact → · MLA: Coquitlam-Maillardville
In-catchment registration
Cross-catchment / school of choice
Catchment locator
School details verified against the SD43 school page (June 2026). Bell schedules, administrators, and program details can change year to year — confirm the current year directly with the school office before relying on any specific number.
Enrolment snapshot
Enrolment figures below come from a third-party school-data platform, not from SD43, and are shown exactly as published. The school office has the official current-year count.
Current enrolment
1,672 students
2025–2026 school year
Grades served
9–12
French Immersion continuation hub
Enrolment by grade
School Year 2025–2026
The four grade-level figures (351 + 416 + 410 + 452 = 1,629) don't match the platform's reported total of 1,672. Both are shown as published; confirm current enrolment with the school office.
Enrolment sourced from School Guide's published school-data profile for Dr. Charles Best Secondary (schoolguide.vtco.app), retrieved September 2026 (School Year 2025–2026).
What this school is best known for
École Dr. Charles Best is one of two SD43 secondary French Immersion continuation hubs (alongside Riverside on the PoCo side). The FI program was added in 2001 and pairs Bilingual Dogwood graduation with the standard English-track academics. The school is named for Charles Best, the Canadian co-discoverer of insulin — a quiet nod to its science/STEM identity.
Quick Answer
What should you know about École Dr. Charles Best Secondary?
École Dr. Charles Best Secondary is an SD43 grades 9–12 school at 2525 Como Lake Avenue in central Coquitlam. It is one of only two SD43 secondary schools that continue Early French Immersion (with Riverside), alongside its English Dogwood program and trades options, and the Province lists a 300-seat addition for the school. Confirm any address in the SD43 School Locator.
Programs & academic profile
Bilingual Dogwood graduation pathway. Continued FI students from Maillard Middle and Banting Middle.
Full English-track academics with broad elective catalogue.
Sciences, technology, applied skills.
Music, band, drama.
Athletics across multiple sports.
District-wide, under SD43's Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement. Indigenous Support Teachers and Child & Youth Care Workers, scholarships, land-based learning, and the All Nations Canoe Event, serving grades K–12 across SD43.
District-wide, grades K–12. Full-year (10-month) and summer options, with ESL and Culture Programming and a Teacher Training Program; qualifying secondary students can access AP and IB coursework.
| Neighbourhood (GVR sub-area) | Property type | Benchmark price | Year over year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Coquitlam | Detached | $1,613,600 | −7.3% |
| Central Coquitlam | Townhouse | $635,500 | −15.4% |
| Central Coquitlam | Apartment | $509,600 | −9.5% |
| Coquitlam West (incl. Burquitlam) | Detached | $1,744,300 | −4.4% |
| Coquitlam West (incl. Burquitlam) | Townhouse | $1,005,900 | −14.0% |
| Coquitlam West (incl. Burquitlam) | Apartment | $673,000 | −8.6% |
Source: Greater Vancouver REALTORS® MLS® Home Price Index, August 2026. GVR sub-areas do not follow SD43 catchment lines — confirm any address with the SD43 School Locator.
Catchment, feeders & cross-catchment
Burquitlam, Como Lake, and parts of central Coquitlam. The French Immersion stream draws district-wide.
École Maillard Middle (FI continuation), Banting Middle (FI), Hillcrest Middle.
Post-secondary.
Out-of-catchment seats at Charles Best are filled through SD43's annual cross-catchment process — a random draw where space remains, with siblings of continuing students and SD43 residents considered first. The window for 2027–28 is February 5–10, 2027. SD43 cross-catchment policy →
Charles Best's secondary boundary is drawn street by street, separately from the elementary and middle-school boundaries, so two homes a short walk apart can be assigned to different high schools. Check the exact address in the SD43 School Locator before you write an offer.
Extracurriculars · sports · clubs
Programs change year to year. Confirm the current season's club and sport list on the school's Programs / Clubs page.
Inside the catchment · housing read
Charles Best sits on Como Lake Avenue in central Coquitlam, and the homes that come up around it range from established detached streets to townhouses and condos. Benchmark prices differ noticeably between the neighbourhoods involved — see the table on this page — so I compare the specific sub-area, not just the school name.
Charles Best's English-program catchment covers central Coquitlam streets around Como Lake Avenue, but SD43 sets catchments by address, not by neighbourhood name, so the only reliable answer for a specific home is the SD43 School Locator. The secondary boundary is drawn separately from the elementary and middle-school boundaries, so check all three. If your child is in French Immersion, also confirm with SD43 which of the two FI continuation secondaries — Charles Best or Riverside — their program leads to.
Possibly, through SD43's annual cross-catchment process — but a seat is not guaranteed. SD43 fills remaining space by random draw, considering siblings of students who will be attending the school first, then SD43 residents, then out-of-district applicants. The window for the 2027–28 school year is February 5–10, 2027. SD43 notes that many factors limit how many requests each school can accommodate, so if Charles Best is a must, an in-catchment address is the more dependable route.
Charles Best continues Early French Immersion from grade 9 through 12. In grades 9 and 10, about half of a student's courses are taught in French. In grades 11 and 12, students need at least four immersion courses, including Français langue seconde – immersion 11 and 12. Students who complete the full program graduate with a Bilingual Graduation Certificate in addition to the provincial Dogwood, and the grade 12 French course is the one required for students who want to write the DELF exam.
Only one: École Riverside Secondary in Port Coquitlam. SD43 lists Charles Best and Riverside as the district's two secondary schools continuing Early French Immersion for grades 9–12; every other SD43 secondary offers Core French as an elective. That matters when you choose a home — a family in a French Immersion middle school should confirm which of the two secondaries their program leads to, because buying near the other one can mean a longer daily commute for four years.
Yes. The Province's major capital projects list shows a new two-storey prefabricated addition at Charles Best adding 300 student spaces for grades 9–12, with an estimated project value of $18 million, construction starting fall 2024 and a target occupancy of fall 2025. As of May 2026 the Province still listed the project status as construction, so check with the school for the current status. More space may ease pressure, but it doesn't change catchment rules — confirm any address with SD43.
Charles Best's 2025–26 course catalogue lists Foundations in Trades 11, which introduces electrical, plumbing and carpentry skills for graduation credit and is run with the Ministry of Education and the Industry Training Authority. It also lists Automotive Technology 11 and 12, taught off campus at Centennial Secondary, Work Experience 12, and a pointer to SD43's career and apprenticeship programs at 43Careers. Course offerings change each year, so check the current catalogue before planning around a specific course.
No — not automatically. SD43 says a cross-catchment approval applies only to the school requested and assigned, so a seat won at a middle school doesn't secure a place at Charles Best in grade 9. SD43's own program guidance notes that grade 8 students register at their catchment secondary unless they apply to transfer or for a program of choice. If you're buying with grade 9 in mind, the address — not the middle school your child attends — is what decides the default secondary.
It depends on the sub-area and property type. In August 2026, the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® benchmark for a detached home in Central Coquitlam was $1,613,600 (−7.3% year over year), a townhouse $635,500 and an apartment $509,600. In Coquitlam West, which takes in Burquitlam, the detached benchmark was $1,744,300. Benchmarks describe a typical home, not a specific one, and GVR sub-areas don't line up with SD43 catchment lines.
Start with the address in the SD43 School Locator for all three levels — elementary, middle and secondary — since each boundary is drawn separately. If your child is in French Immersion, confirm the program leads to Charles Best rather than Riverside. Then look at the daily route to Como Lake Avenue for a teenager and compare the sub-area's benchmark rather than the city average. If you'd like help weighing specific streets, book a strategy call with me.
Continue your Coquitlam school research
Main hub
The full SD43 schools guide for the Tri-Cities.
Hub
How to compare SD43 schools by program, grades and catchment.
Programs
Every SD43 French Immersion entry point.
Private
Independent schools serving Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam.
Sources & methodology
School facts verified against the SD43 Dr. Charles Best Secondary school page, the SD43 Board of Education / Trustees page, and the SD43 school locator. Catchment, registration, and cross-catchment information from SD43's cross-catchment policy page. Real estate commentary is the professional opinion of Craig Johnston, REALTOR® license V99960, working under Royal LePage Elite West and serving the SD43 Tri-Cities market.
Page reviewed and dated June 2026; enrolment and program details refreshed September 2026. License V99960 · BCFSA-regulated. Confirm school program details with the school office before relying on them for an enrolment decision.
Enrolment (1,672 students, 2025–2026; by grade: Grade 9 – 351, Grade 10 – 416, Grade 11 – 410, Grade 12 – 452) and the Indigenous Education Support and SD43 International Student Program listings were verified directly against Dr. Charles Best Secondary's published profile on the School Guide school-data platform (schoolguide.vtco.app), retrieved September 2026. SD43 relaunched its website in 2026; the school, locator, registration and cross-catchment links on this page were checked against the new site in September 2026.
A long-time Tri-Cities resident and licensed REALTOR®, Craig knows the catchment streets and the boundary risks, and can set up a search so you hear about homes inside the Dr. Charles Best Secondary catchment as soon as they're listed.
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Buying for a high school is about more than one boundary line. This is how I work through it with families looking around Como Lake Avenue.
Before we tour anything, I run every address through the SD43 School Locator for the elementary, middle and secondary assignment, because each boundary is drawn separately. A home that maps to Charles Best for grade 9 can still map to a different middle school, and I want you to see the whole path first.
If your child is in French Immersion, I check which of SD43's two continuation secondaries — Charles Best or Riverside — your program leads to. That one answer can change which side of the Tri-Cities we should be searching in, so I settle it before we spend weekends viewing homes.
The neighbourhoods around Charles Best carry different benchmarks for detached homes, townhouses and condos. I compare recent sales on the specific streets we're considering against the GVR benchmark for that sub-area, so you know whether an asking price reflects the location or just the school name.
I look at how a teenager would actually get to Como Lake Avenue from each home — walking, cycling or transit — and how busy the main roads are at school times. It's a practical check that's easy to skip when a house looks right on paper.
For examples of how I've approached moves like this across the Tri-Cities, see my case studies — see my Tri-Cities case studies. Read the Tri-Cities case studies →
5.0 stars across 35+ verified Google reviews. Three from recent clients below.
“We received seven offers, and Craig held firm on our priorities: no subject to sale and achieving our price. We took the home off the market over Christmas, but behind the scenes Craig continued working. When we re-listed in January, it sold in just three days to buyers he had been nurturing — at the price we wanted.”Jim Turnbull
“Craig worked with my wife and me for over 3 years to find the perfect home. He was endlessly patient with us through the process. Eventually, we found our perfect home and he moved fast to execute on our behalf. He negotiated fairly and thoroughly with the sellers and was our advocate all throughout our first home purchase.”David Catterall
“Craig kept me informed of the local market for a couple of years before I asked him to handle my Coquitlam sale. He laid out the strategy upfront, the listing generated a lot of interest, and we had an acceptable offer in under a month. I was stressed going in — Craig helped me overcome a lot of my anxiety. I’ve already introduced him to my sister, who plans to sell soon.”Fj Young
Thinking about the move, not just the school?
If you're weighing a move into this catchment, the hard part usually isn't the school — it's the timing and the tax math: when to sell your current home, how the property-transfer-tax works on the next one, and how to buy into the right catchment without overpaying. That's the work I focus on across the Tri-Cities. Start with the move-up guide, then get a no-obligation read on what your current home could sell for today.
Worth reading next
Neighbouring catchments and the seller pages for families already inside this one.