Cambie Secondary (Richmond): Catchment Buyer Guide

School at a glance

Address + district verifiable via the SD #38 catchment lookup (sd38.bc.ca). Richmond’s only IB Diploma programme is at Richmond Secondary (rhs.sd38.bc.ca).

IB Diploma Programme: at Richmond Secondary, not Cambie

Cambie Secondary does not run the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. Richmond Secondary is the only school in Richmond certified to offer it, according to its own IB Diploma page (rhs.sd38.bc.ca). The Diploma covers Grades 11–12.

For family buyers: a West Cambie or Saunders address carries no IB access. A Cambie-catchment student who wants the Diploma applies to Richmond Secondary; confirm the current criteria and timeline directly with that school. Pay the West Cambie / Saunders catchment premium for cohort, feeder pattern, and neighbourhood, not for IB.

Mini school and French Immersion: at other Richmond schools

Cambie does not run a mini school or French Immersion. Richmond’s mini school is at McNair Secondary (mcnair.sd38.bc.ca), and secondary French Immersion runs at McMath and McRoberts. Each is by application. Confirm the current criteria and timeline directly with the school that runs the programme.

Catchment grid: West Cambie / Saunders / Hamilton / Bridgeport

Cambie Secondary's catchment covers most of West Cambie (residential grid east of No. 4 Road and broadly north of Cambie Road), Saunders (the residential band south of the Richmond Centre / Brighouse commercial node), and portions of Hamilton (eastern Richmond residential) and Bridgeport (north Richmond, near the Bridgeport Canada Line interface). The exact catchment line is set by the SD #38 Board and is reviewed periodically; addresses near boundaries can flip across years.

Practical buyer steps: (1) Pull the live SD #38 catchment lookup for the specific civic address. Do not rely on the listing's catchment claim. (2) Confirm the catchment line at offer time, not at touring time. (3) For addresses near a boundary, ask the listing agent whether SD #38 administration has confirmed the address or it has merely been inferred from neighbours. (4) If the family's primary objective is IB Diploma access, do not pay a catchment premium for it: the Diploma is at Richmond Secondary, not Cambie.

Feeder elementary pattern

Per SD #38 catchment maps, the core feeder elementaries running into Cambie Secondary are:

Smaller portions of other Richmond elementary catchments occasionally feed into Cambie Secondary depending on the year's boundary review. Always confirm the live elementary feeder for the specific civic address through the SD #38 catchment lookup: feeder relationships do shift, and an address near a feeder line can change schools across years.

Buyer pricing impact: the directional answer

Local Richmond agents and appraisers consistently identify Cambie Secondary catchment as a material factor in West Cambie / Saunders family-buyer pricing, alongside Canada Line proximity (Aberdeen, Lansdowne, Bridgeport stations), and the gravity of the Aberdeen / Lansdowne / Richmond Centre commercial anchors. The catchment is a large part of what a family buyer pays for here, and how large is not a number anyone can source. The MLS records no catchment field, so the school effect cannot be separated from everything else on the same street.

This is a directional industry observation, not a hard published statistic. No formal Richmond catchment-premium study has been published with peer-reviewed methodology. Verify against current sold comps with a knowledgeable Richmond agent before underwriting any specific dollar premium, and discount aggressively for addresses near the catchment boundary. The caveat: a catchment premium paid for IB Diploma access buys nothing. Cambie does not run the Diploma; Richmond Secondary does. Pay the premium for cohort, feeder pattern, and neighbourhood.

Where IB runs in Richmond: Richmond Secondary

One SD #38 secondary is certified to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and it is not Cambie:

• Richmond Secondary: the only IB Diploma school in Richmond (Grades 11–12). Application-based.
• Cambie Secondary: no IB, no mini school. Catchment: West Cambie / Saunders / parts of Hamilton / parts of Bridgeport.
• Steveston-London Secondary: no IB Diploma. Catchment: Steveston and south/west Richmond.

A family that wants the Diploma is weighing the trip to Richmond Secondary, not the Cambie catchment line. Confirm the application timeline directly with Richmond Secondary at offer time.

Frequently asked questions

• What is Cambie Secondary's catchment?

  Cambie Secondary at 4151 Jacombs Road serves the West Cambie, Saunders, parts of Hamilton, and parts of Bridgeport residential areas of Richmond, BC, inside the Richmond School District (SD #38). The exact catchment line is set by the SD #38 Board and is reviewed periodically: addresses near catchment boundaries can flip between Cambie Secondary, Steveston-London Secondary, McMath Secondary, McNair Secondary, and McRoberts Secondary depending on the year. Always verify the live SD #38 catchment lookup for the specific civic address before paying a school-catchment premium on a purchase.

• Does Cambie Secondary run the IB Diploma?

  No. Richmond Secondary is the only school in Richmond certified to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, according to its own IB Diploma page. A Cambie-catchment student who wants the Diploma applies to Richmond Secondary; the timeline and criteria are published by that school each year. Do not pay a Cambie-catchment premium for IB access, because the catchment carries none.

• What can a Cambie-catchment student apply for?

  Three district programmes sit at other Richmond schools, each by application: the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Richmond Secondary, the mini school at McNair Secondary, and secondary French Immersion at McMath and McRoberts. Cambie itself runs none of them. Confirm the current criteria and timeline directly with the school that runs each programme.

• Is the Cambie Secondary catchment strict?

  Inside SD #38, catchment is the default placement rule but is not absolute. Students can apply for cross-boundary placement at non-catchment SD #38 schools, and applications are processed based on space availability: popular schools like Cambie Secondary often fill from catchment first, leaving limited cross-boundary capacity. For Richmond family buyers: if you want guaranteed Cambie Secondary placement, buy inside the live catchment, verified at offer time. Cross-boundary applications can work, but they carry no guarantee year over year and can be revoked if the catchment school later runs short on space.

• What is the buyer pricing impact of Cambie Secondary catchment?

  Cambie Secondary catchment is one of several factors that local Richmond agents and appraisers identify as material to West Cambie / Saunders family-buyer pricing, alongside proximity to Aberdeen / Lansdowne / Richmond Centre commercial nodes, and Canada Line access at Aberdeen and Lansdowne stations. The catchment is a large part of what a family buyer is paying for in West Cambie and Saunders. How large is not a number anyone can source: the MLS does not record catchment, so separating school demand from everything else on the same street is not an exercise board data supports. This is a directional industry observation, not a hard published statistic. Verify against current sold comps with a knowledgeable Richmond agent before underwriting any specific dollar premium.

• What feeder elementaries serve Cambie Secondary?

  Per SD #38 catchment maps, the core feeder elementaries for Cambie Secondary include Tomsett Elementary (9671 Odlin Road), Anderson Elementary (9460 Heather Street), Tait Elementary (4360 Coldfall Road), and Garden City Elementary (8800 Garden City Road), with smaller portions of other Richmond elementary catchments occasionally feeding in depending on the year's boundary review. Confirm the live elementary feeder for the specific civic address through the SD #38 catchment lookup: feeder relationships do shift with boundary reviews, and an address near a feeder line can change schools across years.

• Where can a Richmond student take the IB Diploma?

  At Richmond Secondary, the only school in Richmond certified to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Cambie and Steveston-London do not offer it. A family choosing a West Cambie or Saunders home for IB is choosing a cross-catchment application to Richmond Secondary, not the local school. Cambie's own draw is the feeder pattern and the neighbourhood. Verify the application timeline directly with Richmond Secondary.