Schools and child care in Vernon, BC

If you are moving to Vernon with children, the first questions are usually which school they will attend and where to find child care. This page collects answers from official sources, including School District 22, the B.C. government and Okanagan College. It is an independent guide from a local real estate agent and is not affiliated with any school district, college or child care provider. Dates, fees and programs change, so confirm with the school or provider before you plan around them.

Sean's insider tip

Look up the catchment school for any address before you make an offer, using the district's own school locator. Then call the school and ask about space, registration and anything specific to your child. Child care waitlists can be long, so get on lists early.

Which school will my child attend?

What school district is Vernon in, and how do I find my catchment school?

Vernon is served by School District No. 22 (Vernon), and you find your catchment school by entering your home address in the School Locator on the SD22 website. You register at that catchment school, and new registrations are by appointment.

Bring your child's birth certificate, proof of the parent's status in Canada (a passport, citizenship card or permanent resident card, for example), your child's BC Services Card, and two proofs of residence. A B.C. driver's licence counts as only one of the two. As of October 2026, SD22's registration page lists Ellison Elementary and the Vernon Secondary and Seaton Secondary families of schools as closed to out-of-catchment transfers, so check the address before you buy or rent.

How many schools are in Vernon, BC?

The Ministry of Education lists 23 public schools and programs in School District 22, which covers Vernon, Coldstream, Lumby and Cherryville. That breaks down into 14 elementary schools, five secondary schools, and four alternate, continuing-education or online programs.

Not all of these are inside the City of Vernon: Kidston and Coldstream elementaries and Kalamalka Secondary are in Coldstream, Charles Bloom Secondary and J.W. Inglis Elementary are in Lumby, and Cherryville Elementary is in Cherryville. Independent schools are not included in the 23. Use the SD22 School Locator to see which one serves your address.

How many high schools does Vernon have?

School District 22 has five public secondary schools, and three of them are in the City of Vernon: Clarence Fulton, Vernon Secondary and W.L. Seaton. The other two are Kalamalka Secondary, which SD22 places in Coldstream, and Charles Bloom Secondary in Lumby.

There are also alternate and online options. SD22 hosts the Vernon Community School for Grades 7 to 12 at Clarence Fulton, and the provincial school list includes Crossroads Learning Centre, an Alternative Learning Program, Continuing Education and VLearn.ca. Which high school your teen attends depends on your catchment, so check your address in the SD22 School Locator. Independent schools are separate and not counted here.

Kindergarten and starting school

When do I register for kindergarten in Vernon?

In B.C., a child can start kindergarten in the September of the year they turn five, so they need to turn five by December 31. The province says registration usually begins in January or February for the following September.

In Vernon, SD22 ran its 2026-27 registration window from January 15 to February 13, 2026, through your catchment school by appointment. As of October 27, 2026, the district had not posted 2027-28 dates, so watch the district's Student Registration page in early January. Families may wait a year, but B.C. expects children to be registered by the calendar year they turn six.

Is kindergarten free and full-day in B.C.?

Yes, public kindergarten in B.C. is free and full-day for every eligible five-year-old. The School Act has boards provide instruction free of charge to school-age students who live in B.C., and the province describes full-day, play-based kindergarten as available to all eligible five-year-olds.

"Free" covers instruction, not extras. SD22 posts a small fee schedule for supplies and activities, plus optional field trips. For younger children, StrongStart BC is a free drop-in program for ages birth to five with a parent or caregiver. SD22 lists it at Alexis Park, Harwood, Mission Hill and Ellison elementaries on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings (2026-27 schedule).

What do kids learn in kindergarten in BC?

B.C. kindergarten is play-based and aims to build a child's physical, social, emotional, language and thinking skills together, rather than drilling formal subjects. The province says learning is guided by the B.C. curriculum, with children exploring through play, inquiry, outdoor time and hands-on activities such as neighbourhood walks and library visits.

Behind that, the curriculum's areas of learning run from kindergarten to Grade 12: English language arts, math, science, social studies, arts, physical and health education, career education, applied design, skills and technologies, and languages. Expect these to show up through play-based activities at this age. Your child's teacher can show you how it looks in your school.

Can I move to Vernon mid-school-year, and how fast can my child start?

Yes, you can move mid-year: SD22 takes new registrations by appointment at your catchment school, so you can book once you have a Vernon address. A property purchase agreement or rental insurance counts as one of the two proofs of residence, so you may not need to wait for possession day.

How fast your child starts depends on the school and grade, and SD22 does not publish a set timeline, so ask the school when you book. For Grades 10 to 12, bring report cards or transcripts from your current school. The province says courses from other Canadian provinces should generally receive equivalency credit, but ask the school counsellor early how they fit your teen's graduation plan.

Child care in Vernon

How much does child care cost in Vernon?

There is no single price for child care in Vernon, because each centre sets its own fees, but B.C. funds participating licensed providers to bring what parents pay down. As of July 2026, the fee reduction is up to $900 a month per child for full-time group care under age three, and less for older children.

Some licensed centres in B.C. are $10-a-day sites, and families earning up to about $111,000 may also qualify for the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which requires a B.C. address, a SIN, and citizenship, permanent residency or protected status. Providers manage their own waitlists, so availability matters as much as price. Start with the Child Care Resource & Referral office in Vernon.

College and post-secondary

Does Vernon have a college or post-secondary option for teens and adults?

Yes, Okanagan College has a campus in Vernon (7000 College Way), and UBC Okanagan is in Kelowna, about 50 km south. The Vernon campus lists programs including the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees (a start on a university degree you can transfer), Computer Information Systems, Early Childhood Education, Health Care Assistant, Writing and Publishing, esthetics and trades training. Practical Nursing and Human Service Work run on a rotating basis.

The college describes its upgrading classes as free, and its site lists dual credit and high school pathways for teens. Check which courses are running locally in a given year before you plan around one.

How much is tuition at Okanagan College?

Okanagan College's most recent published fee schedule (2025/26) puts tuition plus college fees at roughly $445 to $594 for a typical three-credit course for domestic students, depending on the program. Per credit, tuition ran from $130.54 (Arts and Science lecture courses) to $177.63 (Business), plus about $18 to $20 in college fees.

Vernon students also pay student union and capital fund fees, and those taking six or more credits a semester pay annual health and dental charges unless they opt out. The college board approved a two per cent domestic tuition increase for September 2026, so 2026/27 amounts will be a little higher. Check the tuition and fees page for current rates.

A question for you

How old are your children, and when are you hoping to move? Tell Sean or Sarah and they can help you think through neighbourhoods near the schools you are considering.

Related guides

• What it's like to live in Vernon
• Vernon neighbourhoods: where to start
• Moving to B.C.: the checklist
• Cost of living in Vernon, compared
• Moving from Calgary to Vernon

Updated October 28, 2026. Published by Sean Phillips, REALTOR®, Coldwell Banker Executives Realty. General information from official sources, not legal, tax, immigration or medical advice.

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