Moving here with a family
How schools are assigned by address, the public secondaries and the independent option, getting to Richmond and Vancouver, and what to sort out in the first weeks.
READ THE GUIDE ↓Nine neighbourhood guides, each with its schools, parks, shops, getting around and this month’s numbers.
Most families who move here are choosing a school, a commute and a street at the same time. This guide takes them in that order.
White Rock and South Surrey share one public school district, Surrey Schools (District 36), and the district assigns schools by address. The most useful thing to know before you choose a home: catchment lines follow the district’s map, not neighbourhood names or real estate boundaries, and they can split an ordinary street.
So check the schools for the exact address before you write an offer, not after. The district’s own school locator is the ruling, and we confirm it for any home on request.
Your address decides the school.
Surrey Schools sets a catchment elementary and a catchment secondary for every address. Type a street address into the district’s school locator and it returns the schools for that address range. Catchments have moved as new schools opened, so a listing note or a neighbour’s memory is not a substitute for a fresh check.
Registration is done with the district and the school, and the district’s registration page lists what to bring. If you are arriving from outside the area, start that conversation before the move rather than after it.
Semiahmoo Secondary on 148 Street carries the International Baccalaureate programme, a district program of choice that takes applications. Earl Marriott is on 16 Avenue, Elgin Park on 24 Avenue, and Grandview Heights, the newest, opened in 2021 on 25 Avenue.
Which one a home feeds depends on its address. Each neighbourhood guide names the schools for its streets. We do not publish school ratings or rankings.
Southridge School, an independent, non-denominational school for kindergarten to grade 12, is on 160 Street in South Surrey, a short drive from Grandview Heights, Morgan Creek and Elgin. Admission is by application to the school rather than by address, so the choice of home and the choice of school are separate decisions.
Richmond and Vancouver, by bus and by car.
The 351 bus runs from White Rock Centre, beside Semiahmoo Shopping Centre, along Highway 99 to Bridgeport Station in Richmond, stopping at the South Surrey Park and Ride on the way. At Bridgeport the Canada Line continues to Richmond Centre, the airport and downtown Vancouver. The 321 runs up King George Boulevard to Surrey Central.
By car, Highway 99 is the route north to Richmond and Vancouver, through the George Massey Tunnel. Outside the rush it is an easy drive; at peak hours the tunnel sets the pace. Drive the commute at the hour you would make it before you buy.
Inside the peninsula most households drive. Buses run along the main avenues to White Rock Centre, but the network is thin in the estate areas and in Hazelmere.
Shops, health and the outdoors.
Four hubs cover the errands
Semiahmoo Shopping Centre at 152 Street and 16 Avenue, Peninsula Village at 152 Street and 24 Avenue, Morgan Crossing and Grandview Corners near 24 Avenue and 160 Street, and uptown White Rock along Johnston Road. Groceries, pharmacies and everyday shops are within ten minutes of most streets. Some specialty groceries and restaurants are still a trip to Richmond, and the 351 and Highway 99 both go there.
Peace Arch Hospital, uptown
Peace Arch Hospital is in White Rock, uptown near Johnston Road, with medical offices and pharmacies around it. Start the search for a family doctor early, and sort out provincial health coverage as soon as you arrive.
The beach, the trails, the parks
The White Rock promenade and pier, Crescent Beach, the trails of Sunnyside Acres Urban Forest and Redwood Park, and playing fields across South Surrey. Most streets are a short drive from the water.
White Rock or South Surrey
White Rock is its own small city on the hillside, mostly condos and view homes near the beach. South Surrey is part of the City of Surrey and carries most of the newer family streets and the larger lots. White Rock vs South Surrey sets out the differences.
What to sort out, and when.
- Before you buy: confirm the catchment schools for the exact address, drive the commute at the hour you would make it, and visit the street on a weekday evening and a weekend morning.
- Before you sign from away: if you are buying before you arrive, talk to a BC lawyer or notary early about how documents get signed from abroad.
- When you move: register the children with the school, sort out health coverage, and start the search for a family doctor.
- In the first month: learn the 351 timetable and the drive to Bridgeport, and find the parks and libraries nearest your street.
A question about moving here? Ask it here.
A school catchment for a particular address, a street, a commute, a complex. Twenty years on the peninsula; a plain answer, usually the same day.
Looking to buy? Tell Hamish the type of home, your budget and your must-haves. He will contact you in the way you prefer when a suitable home comes up.
Three family neighbourhoods to start with.
Sunnyside ParkThe practical heart of South Surrey: parks and trails out the door, every amenity minutes away, and streets built for family life.
Grandview HeightsThe newest face of South Surrey: fresh streets, walkable shopping, and the aquatic centre at the middle of it all.
Crescent Beach and Ocean ParkA beach village at the bottom of the hill, a quiet grid of family streets above it, and the ocean at the end of almost every road.The questions families ask us most.
How do I find out which school a house is in?
Use the Surrey Schools school locator with the exact street address; it returns the catchment elementary and secondary for that address range. Catchments follow the district’s map, not neighbourhood names, so check every address you are serious about. We confirm it for any home on request.
Which public high schools serve White Rock and South Surrey?
Four secondaries: Semiahmoo Secondary on 148 Street, which carries the International Baccalaureate programme, Earl Marriott on 16 Avenue, Elgin Park on 24 Avenue, and Grandview Heights on 25 Avenue, which opened in 2021. Which one a home feeds depends on its address.
Is there a private school in South Surrey?
Southridge School, an independent, non-denominational school for kindergarten to grade 12, is on 160 Street in South Surrey. Admission is by application to the school rather than by address.
How do you get from White Rock to Richmond without a car?
The 351 bus runs from White Rock Centre along Highway 99 to Bridgeport Station in Richmond, where the Canada Line continues to Richmond Centre, the airport and downtown Vancouver.
Will we still need to go to Richmond for shopping?
For everyday errands, no: four shopping hubs on the peninsula cover groceries, pharmacies and services. For some specialty groceries and restaurants Richmond is still the place, and both the 351 and Highway 99 go there.
Should a family choose White Rock or South Surrey?
White Rock is its own small city on the hillside, mostly condos and view homes near the beach. South Surrey is part of the City of Surrey and carries most of the newer family streets and larger lots. Our White Rock vs South Surrey page sets out the differences.
Sources, checked 22 October 2026: Surrey Schools school locator; Surrey Schools, Semiahmoo Secondary International Baccalaureate page; BC Ministry of Education school directory (Grandview Heights Secondary); TransLink route 351, White Rock Centre to Bridgeport Station. School catchments change; the district’s locator is the ruling for any address.