On March 31, the Sooke School District announced that they received approval from the province to develop a business plan to replace or refurbish Port Renfrew Elementary. The province has committed $10 million dollars to the project contingent on an acceptable plan. The 53-year-old Port Renfrew Elementary is one of the most seismically unsafe schools in BC.
The Sooke School District is working with Pacheedaht First Nation to realize a K-12 campus that would serve families of Pacheedaht First Nation and Port Renfrew. Pacheedaht First Nation has requested $24 million in federal funding to build a grade 6-12 school adjacent to the new elementary school. Students from Pacheedaht First Nation and Port Renfrew from grades 6-12 currently attend school in Sooke, which is 3-hour daily commute for students by bus.