Where is Handsworth Secondary School located?

Handsworth Secondary is at 1033 Handsworth Road, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2A7, in the District of North Vancouver, in the Edgemont / Capilano Highlands area west of the Capilano River and immediately north of Edgemont Village. The current building opened to students on February 7, 2022, next to the original 1960s building, which was demolished after the move. The school is operated by School District 44 (North Vancouver). Verify the address and current operating status against the SD 44 school directory before relying on any catchment claim.

Does Handsworth offer the IB Diploma Programme?

No. Handsworth Secondary is not IBO-authorized for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. In SD 44 (North Vancouver), both the IB Middle Years Programme (Grades 8 to 10) and the Diploma Programme (Grades 11 and 12, the credential most buyers mean when they say "IB") run at Carson Graham Secondary only. On the West Vancouver side, West Vancouver Secondary in School District 45 also runs the Diploma.

What's Handsworth's catchment area?

Handsworth's catchment broadly covers Edgemont Village, Capilano Highlands, Forest Hills, Canyon Heights, and parts of western Lynn Valley: the band of family neighbourhoods west of the Capilano River and south of the Cleveland Dam corridor up through the Highlands. SD 44 catchment boundaries are reviewed periodically by the Board, and edge addresses (particularly along the Lynn Valley west boundary and the southern edge of the Highlands) can flip into Carson Graham or Argyle catchments depending on the current map. Verify the live SD 44 catchment finder for the specific address before paying a school-catchment premium.

What programs does Handsworth offer?

Handsworth Secondary runs an English program and a French Immersion program (continuing from SD 44 French Immersion elementaries such as Cleveland), plus Advanced Placement (AP) courses, athletics, music and drama. SD 44 lists AP course offerings at Handsworth and Argyle, and they vary with enrolment. Confirm the current course list against the live Handsworth Secondary website before treating any program as guaranteed.

What feeder elementaries flow into Handsworth?

The primary feeder elementary schools into Handsworth Secondary include Cleveland Elementary (Edgemont Village core, with French Immersion), Highlands Elementary (Capilano Highlands), Canyon Heights Elementary, and Capilano Elementary, depending on the specific address. Cleveland's French Immersion programme is one of the reasons some buyers target the Edgemont core even before secondary-school timing matters. Feeder patterns can shift with SD 44 boundary review; verify the current feeder elementary for any specific Handsworth-catchment address against the SD 44 catchment finder.

How does Handsworth compare to West Vancouver Secondary?

Different programs, different school districts. Handsworth (SD 44, North Vancouver) is a public secondary whose program differences are AP and French Immersion. West Vancouver Secondary (SD 45, a separate district) offers the full IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11–12). For families specifically optimising for the IB Diploma credential at graduation, the North Shore options are Carson Graham Secondary in SD 44 and West Vancouver Secondary in SD 45. Handsworth is not one of them. For families optimising for AP courses or French Immersion continuation, Handsworth is the relevant comparison. The two are not interchangeable on the IB axis.

Did the new Handsworth building open in 2022?

Yes. Students started classes in the new Handsworth Secondary building on February 7, 2022, the first day of the second semester. It replaced the original 1960s building through SD 44's capital plan, with construction proceeding while the existing school stayed open; the old building was demolished after the move. SD 44 capital plan documents are the authoritative source for project dates.

Does the Handsworth catchment cover Edgemont Village?

Yes. Edgemont Village core addresses fall inside the Handsworth Secondary catchment, and the Cleveland, Highlands, and Canyon Heights elementary feeders are part of why Edgemont carries the family-buyer premium it does. The village's walkable amenity, the elementary feeders, and the Capilano River / Cleveland Dam parkland adjacency all add to that. Note that the IB Diploma is not part of it (Handsworth does not run the Diploma Programme). Buyers should confirm the specific address against the live SD 44 catchment map; addresses on the village periphery, particularly near Edgemont Boulevard's southern reach, can sit at boundary-review risk. See the Edgemont Village neighbourhood guide for the full read.

North Shore: North Vancouver

Handsworth Secondary (North Vancouver): Catchment + Programs Buyer Guide

Last reviewed 24 September 2026 by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®Sources: North Vancouver School District (SD 44), Handsworth Secondary School, SD 44 catchment finder, IB Organization (ibo.org), BC Ministry of EducationCC BY 4.0How we verify

Handsworth is the catchment secondary school for Edgemont Village and the Capilano Highlands. It runs AP courses and French Immersion. It does not run the IB Diploma; in this district that is at Carson Graham Secondary.

The school is at 1033 Handsworth Road, in the District of North Vancouver (School District 44). The rebuilt school opened in February 2022 on the site of the original 1960s building. For the neighbourhoods around it, see the Edgemont Village guide and the Lynn Valley guide.

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School at a glance

Address: 1033 Handsworth Road, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2A7
School District: North Vancouver School District (SD 44)
Established: Original building 1960s; current building opened February 2022
Programs: English and French Immersion · AP courses
IB Diploma: Not offered at Handsworth; in SD 44 it runs at Carson Graham Secondary

Catchment: check the exact address

The catchment historically covers Edgemont Village, Capilano Highlands, Forest Hills, Canyon Heights and parts of western Lynn Valley. The School District 44 board reviews the boundaries, and a lot one block over can fall in a different catchment. Enter the street address in the SD 44 catchment finder and confirm both the elementary feeder and the secondary school.

An in-catchment address gives you: a place at Handsworth as the catchment school, subject to SD 44 enrolment policy. It does not give you: a place in French Immersion, which has its own entry rules. Confirm those with SD 44.

What Handsworth offers

French Immersion: Handsworth continues French Immersion for students coming from SD 44 elementaries, Cleveland Elementary among them. Check the grade-entry rules and course list with SD 44, which reviews placement and feeders from time to time.
Advanced Placement: AP courses end in College Board exams that can earn university credit. AP works course by course; the IB Diploma is a full two-year programme. Check the current AP course list on the school’s website, as it changes with enrolment.
Music, drama and athletics: The school lists music and drama and runs an athletics program. Teams and clubs change year to year; the school’s own pages are current.

Elementary schools that feed it

Four elementaries have historically fed Handsworth. Which one an address uses depends on SD 44’s current boundaries.

Cleveland Elementary
Edgemont Village core feeder, historically the most commonly identified primary feeder into Handsworth Secondary for Edgemont addresses. One of the SD 44 French Immersion elementary schools, so its French Immersion students continue at Handsworth.
Highlands Elementary
Capilano Highlands feeder. Not a French Immersion school.
Canyon Heights Elementary
Canyon Heights / Capilano River corridor feeder; covers the western portion of the historical Handsworth catchment.
Capilano Elementary
Eastern-side feeder for parts of the Handsworth catchment near the Capilano River; verify per-address against SD 44 catchment lookup.

If you want the IB Diploma

Buyers often ask whether Handsworth is the IB school. It is not. SD 44 runs the IB Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programme at Carson Graham Secondary only. On the North Shore the other Diploma school is West Vancouver Secondary, in the separate School District 45.

Decide which program you want before you price a catchment. If it is AP or French Immersion, Handsworth fits. If it is the IB Diploma, look at Carson Graham or West Vancouver Secondary instead.

How the catchment shows up in neighbourhoods

Edgemont Village has the largest share of in-catchment homes, plus the village shops, the Cleveland Dam and Capilano River parkland, and a stack of feeder elementaries. Capilano Highlands, Forest Hills and Canyon Heights are similar, with more variation block by block.

Western Lynn Valley is uneven: parts feed Handsworth and parts feed Argyle Secondary. Whatever a catchment adds to a price attaches to in-catchment blocks, not to the Lynn Valley name. See the Lynn Valley guide.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Handsworth Secondary School located?
Handsworth Secondary is at 1033 Handsworth Road, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2A7, in the District of North Vancouver, in the Edgemont / Capilano Highlands area west of the Capilano River and immediately north of Edgemont Village. The current building opened to students on February 7, 2022, next to the original 1960s building, which was demolished after the move. The school is operated by School District 44 (North Vancouver). Verify the address and current operating status against the SD 44 school directory before relying on any catchment claim.
Does Handsworth offer the IB Diploma Programme?
No. Handsworth Secondary is not IBO-authorized for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. In SD 44 (North Vancouver), both the IB Middle Years Programme (Grades 8 to 10) and the Diploma Programme (Grades 11 and 12, the credential most buyers mean when they say "IB") run at Carson Graham Secondary only. On the West Vancouver side, West Vancouver Secondary in School District 45 also runs the Diploma.
What's Handsworth's catchment area?
Handsworth's catchment broadly covers Edgemont Village, Capilano Highlands, Forest Hills, Canyon Heights, and parts of western Lynn Valley: the band of family neighbourhoods west of the Capilano River and south of the Cleveland Dam corridor up through the Highlands. SD 44 catchment boundaries are reviewed periodically by the Board, and edge addresses (particularly along the Lynn Valley west boundary and the southern edge of the Highlands) can flip into Carson Graham or Argyle catchments depending on the current map. Verify the live SD 44 catchment finder for the specific address before paying a school-catchment premium.
What programs does Handsworth offer?
Handsworth Secondary runs an English program and a French Immersion program (continuing from SD 44 French Immersion elementaries such as Cleveland), plus Advanced Placement (AP) courses, athletics, music and drama. SD 44 lists AP course offerings at Handsworth and Argyle, and they vary with enrolment. Confirm the current course list against the live Handsworth Secondary website before treating any program as guaranteed.
What feeder elementaries flow into Handsworth?
The primary feeder elementary schools into Handsworth Secondary include Cleveland Elementary (Edgemont Village core, with French Immersion), Highlands Elementary (Capilano Highlands), Canyon Heights Elementary, and Capilano Elementary, depending on the specific address. Cleveland's French Immersion programme is one of the reasons some buyers target the Edgemont core even before secondary-school timing matters. Feeder patterns can shift with SD 44 boundary review; verify the current feeder elementary for any specific Handsworth-catchment address against the SD 44 catchment finder.
How does Handsworth compare to West Vancouver Secondary?
Different programs, different school districts. Handsworth (SD 44, North Vancouver) is a public secondary whose program differences are AP and French Immersion. West Vancouver Secondary (SD 45, a separate district) offers the full IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11–12). For families specifically optimising for the IB Diploma credential at graduation, the North Shore options are Carson Graham Secondary in SD 44 and West Vancouver Secondary in SD 45. Handsworth is not one of them. For families optimising for AP courses or French Immersion continuation, Handsworth is the relevant comparison. The two are not interchangeable on the IB axis.
Did the new Handsworth building open in 2022?
Yes. Students started classes in the new Handsworth Secondary building on February 7, 2022, the first day of the second semester. It replaced the original 1960s building through SD 44's capital plan, with construction proceeding while the existing school stayed open; the old building was demolished after the move. SD 44 capital plan documents are the authoritative source for project dates.
Does the Handsworth catchment cover Edgemont Village?
Yes. Edgemont Village core addresses fall inside the Handsworth Secondary catchment, and the Cleveland, Highlands, and Canyon Heights elementary feeders are part of why Edgemont carries the family-buyer premium it does. The village's walkable amenity, the elementary feeders, and the Capilano River / Cleveland Dam parkland adjacency all add to that. Note that the IB Diploma is not part of it (Handsworth does not run the Diploma Programme). Buyers should confirm the specific address against the live SD 44 catchment map; addresses on the village periphery, particularly near Edgemont Boulevard's southern reach, can sit at boundary-review risk. See the Edgemont Village neighbourhood guide for the full read.