Stratford Hall was founded in the late 1990s by two Burnaby mothers, Elaine Lee and Cindy Leung, who wanted a university preparatory option for their own children. They formed a not-for-profit society, the Burnaby Independent School Society (now the Stratford Hall (School) Society), and in October 1999, they appointed James McConnell as Head of School. They also secured a temporary site, the Italian Cultural Centre, which served the school for its first 9 years.

In September 2000, classes began for 40 students in kindergarten to grade 6. Since then, we have added about 40 new students each year. In 2001, we started a second kindergarten class, and in May 2007, the first set of students graduated from grade 12. Our current enrollment is 340 students in kindergarten to grade 12.

We made the decision to embark on the International Baccalaureate in October 1999, and Stratford Hall was one of the first schools in the world to establish itself using all three IB Programs. In 2003, we were awarded authorization for the IB Primary Years Programme, the first school in Western Canada to do so. In 2005, we achieved authorization for the IB Diploma Programme, ensuring that our first graduating class would be Diploma candidates. We achieved full authorization for our Middle Years Programme in 2009. Stratford Hall is the only school in Canada and one of the few schools in the world that offers all three IB Programmes to all students and is fully authorized to do so.

Gaining acceptance into the International Baccalaureate was an important step for program design and credibility; as was joining associations that have stringent standards of admission. Stratford Hall was accepted into the Independent Schools Association of BC in 2003, and into the Canadian Association of Independent Schools in 2005.

The search for a permanent site for Stratford Hall included visits to more than 100 possible locations in Burnaby, Vancouver and New Westminster. In 2005, the former Ailanthus Centre in east Vancouver became available and the school purchased it, establishing a permanent presence on Commercial Drive. In September 2005, the grades 6 - 12 program was moved from the Italian Cultural Centre to the new building.

In 2007, Stratford Hall purchased a lot on the same block of Commercial, and in 2008, construction began on the new Primary Years facility. The new building, designed specifically for the IB Primary Years Programme, opened in November of 2009.

Planning is now underway for the final building to house the Middle Years Programme. Property in the next block of Commercial Drive is being acquired and design work began in 2010.

Stratford Hall’s Official Symbol

A Stratford Hall founder, Harry Lee, designed the official school crest. Its dominant feature is an ‘S’, signifying Stratford and connecting, in a subtle way, to the academic tradition of Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

The crest is intended to convey a sense of tradition, and the book, as a traditional means of learning, is imbedded behind the ‘S’. Above the word ‘Stratford’ is the dogwood, British Columbia’s official flower. Below the shield itself are three pillar words on which the school was founded: Confidentia Excellentia Integritas (translated to English as excellence, confidence, and integrity). These are written in Latin to further demonstrate a connection to tradition. Finally, the shape of the shield and the banner below is intended to convey a Shakespearean look.

Stratford Hall’s official school symbol appears on official documents and on the school blazer.