School Name History

Location

32622 Marshall Road, Abbotsford, BC

Opened

1973 originally called Marshall Road Elementary but by opening day it was renamed Bakerview Elementary; 2007 closed; 2009 reopened as Bakerview Centre for Learning 

Origin of the Name 

Bakerview was named for its view of Mount Baker. 

The Early Community 

For thousands of years, the Sto:lo, the People of the River, lived here in the Fraser Valley. In the 1800s, the Sto:lo were displaced as people from Britain, Europe, and other countries arrived. The gold rush of 1858 brought the first wave of people from all over the world. By the 1860s, new settlers began establishing farms on the Sumas and Matsqui Prairies. The coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1887 brought another wave of settlers. The dense forests disappeared as they were cleared for farmland and lumber mills sprang up. The village of Abbotsford was established in 1891. Abbotsford grew over the years to a town and finally to a city in 1995 when it joined with Sumas and Matsqui. 

The School 

Bakerview opened in 1973. It was a four-room school with a population of one hundred students from grades 1-6. Through the seventies, the open fields that surrounded Bakerview became subdivisions. By 1975, renovations were made to accommodate a student population that had increased to almost three hundred. Four classrooms were added, the library and gym were enlarged, and the playground was finished. The renovated school expanded to include Kindergarten and grade seven classes. There were now ten classrooms. When the middle schools were introduced in the early 2000s, Bakerview became a K-5 school. By 2007, the population had declined to one hundred twenty-three students, so the school was closed. The district considered using the building as administrative offices, but after extensive renovations, it became the Bakerview Centre for Learning. The Centre offers classes for students who face challenges in the regular school system and adults who wish to complete their high school education.