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French Immersion FAQ
French Immersion runs through SD43 across Coquitlam, Port Moody, and Port Coquitlam. Here's how to think about it if you're house-hunting around immersion access.
Quick Answer
How does French Immersion work in SD43?
French Immersion runs through SD43 across Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam, with Early and Late Immersion entry points — and single-entry catchment quirks that decide which program your address actually feeds. This guide maps the schools, the entry windows, and how to weigh catchment when you buy. Craig Johnston, Top 1% Team Member — Greater Vancouver REALTORS® and 47+ year Tri-Cities resident, can walk you through the local context. Free Strategy Call ends with a written one-page plan in 24 hours.
Verify your exact address
Look up your address in SD43’s official School Locator.
Type an address → see the catchment schools that serve it. Catchments are set by address, not by neighbourhood name.
Note: SD43 schools offering Early French Immersion must be applied for through the Program of Choice process — catchment alone does not grant a seat.
SD43 · French Immersion network
School District 43 runs one of the largest French Immersion networks in Metro Vancouver — but the entry points are not interchangeable, and one long-running site closed recently. Here is the full map, and the two decisions that actually determine whether your address works.
| School | City | Address | Programme |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Nestor Elementary | Coquitlam | 1266 Nestor St | Early FI (dual-track) |
| École Panorama Heights | Coquitlam | 1455 Johnson St | Early FI (dual-track) |
| École Porter Street | Coquitlam | 728 Porter St | Early FI (dual-track) |
| École Rochester | Coquitlam | 411 Schoolhouse St | Early FI (dual-track) |
| École Glenayre | Port Moody | 495 Glencoe Drive | Early FI — Port Moody’s only K-entry host |
| École Coquitlam River | Port Coquitlam | 4250 Shaughnessy St | Early FI — K–3 host |
| École Irvine | Port Coquitlam | 3862 Wellington St | Early FI — new $24.3M building (2025), NE PoCo host |
| École Kilmer | Port Coquitlam | 1575 Knappen St | Early FI — central PoCo host |
| École Mary Hill | Port Coquitlam | 1890 Humber Cres | Early FI — Mary Hill host |
| École Westwood | Port Coquitlam | 3610 Hastings St | Kindergarten-only FI entry |
The closure families still get caught by: Glen Elementary in Coquitlam ran French Immersion from 1985 and was one of the district’s longest-standing FI sites — but the programme was cancelled after the 2022–23 school year. Glen is now English-only K–5. Older blog posts, forum threads and even some agent listings still describe Glen as an immersion school. If a listing leans on that, verify it with SD43 before it influences your offer.
This is the part that decides your search area, and most families do not learn it until they are already house-hunting. The FI middle schools are not equivalent: two run Early immersion continuing from Kindergarten, and two run Late immersion, which starts in Grade 6 for students who were in English stream.
| School | City | Address | Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Banting Middle | Coquitlam | 820 Banting St | Early FI hub — feeds Centennial |
| École Maillard Middle | Coquitlam | 1300 Rochester Ave | Late FI |
| École Kwayhquitlum Middle | Port Coquitlam | 3280 Flint St | Early FI only — not Late — feeds Terry Fox |
| École Pitt River Middle | Port Coquitlam | 2070 Tyner St | Late FI |
So a family committed to Early immersion needs an address feeding Banting (Coquitlam side) or Kwayhquitlum (Port Coquitlam side). A family that wants their child to start French later — a genuinely valid path — is looking at Maillard or Pitt River instead. Buying into the wrong one does not simply mean a different building; it can mean the entry point you wanted is not available.
| School | City | Address | Programme |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Dr. Charles Best | Coquitlam | 2525 Como Lake Ave | FI district hub + Advanced Placement |
| École Riverside Secondary | Port Coquitlam | 2215 Reeve St | FI option + Advanced Placement |
Dr. Charles Best is the district French Immersion hub and also carries Advanced Placement, which is why Como Lake–area addresses attract families who want both. Riverside is the Port Coquitlam continuation, likewise pairing immersion with AP.
Decide first
Early or Late immersion. This narrows your catchments before you look at a single listing.
Then the city
Port Coquitlam has five elementary entry points; Coquitlam has four; Port Moody has one (Glenayre).
Check the fork
Confirm the middle school your address feeds runs the track you want.
Verify, always
SD43 sets catchments and programme placement, and both change. Confirm before you write.
The honest summary: if French Immersion is non-negotiable, Port Coquitlam gives you the most room to buy — five entry elementaries and generally more house per dollar. If you are set on Port Moody, the Glenayre catchment carries far more weight in your search than any single catchment would in a city with several entry points. Immersion placement can also involve district processes beyond catchment, so speak to SD43 early rather than assuming the address alone secures a seat.
Compiled from School District 43 records as of May 2026. Catchments, programme placement and entry rules are set by SD43 and do change. Confirm current details directly with the district before making a purchase decision. This page is general information, not enrolment advice.
SD43 offers French Immersion starting at Kindergarten in designated program schools. Students continue through middle and secondary immersion streams at specific schools. Program schools are distinct from catchment — your catchment school may or may not offer immersion.
Registration for immersion typically opens once a year in the fall for the following September. Spots fill. Plan ahead.
The immersion host schools I’ve profiled — each links to my full guide. Immersion runs across the Tri-Cities (SD43), so confirm the current-year program-school list with the district before you rely on a specific site:
Fall registration the year before K. Mark the calendar.
Where your child goes may be different from catchment.
Busing may be provided or may be on family; verify.
Supporting at home matters for the first two years.
Confirm the middle and secondary stream before committing.
Reduces bus / drive time measurably.
Program schools don't change often but can.
Program schools aren't strictly catchment.
Plan for where the continuity actually leads.
If you have two kids, plan their journeys together.
For the broader catchment picture: best schools in Coquitlam. For specific neighbourhood schools: Burke Mountain, Westwood, Heritage.
Pick the immersion program school first. Look at commute distance from homes you're considering. Then layer in price and neighbourhood fit. Buying a 'perfect' house far from the program school is usually a two-year regret.
Tell me your kids' ages and where you want immersion to land. We'll build the filter together.
Yes — it's part of the public system. No tuition.
SD43 runs a waitlist process. Most families either get placed or choose catchment the first year.
Mid-year / mid-grade entry is limited. Early entry is strongly preferred.
No. The program assumes zero-French starting point at K.
I answer these kinds of questions every day. A 15-minute call usually resolves it.
Plan the full family move.
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