Hugh Boyd Secondary School is located in the Seafair area of Richmond, British Columbia with approximately 700 students. The surrounding community has a wide range of socio-economic levels and a diverse cultural demographic. We are also home to approximately 55 international students who are in British Columbia to experience a full English immersion education. There are seven elementary schools that feed into Hugh Boyd. 

At Boyd, we pride ourselves on being:

1. inclusive
2. diverse
3. a close-knit school community

We offer a range of program choices to support our diverse student population. We are home to Combined Studies, an alternate education program to support Grade 11 and 12 students who have struggled in a mainstream setting. In addition, Boyd's Incentive program challenges students to achieve academic and personal excellence. It is designed to meet the needs of high ability students with potential leadership qualities. Boyd also hosts an all-encompassing Learning Centre and Resource Program, with a substantive team of resource teachers and EAs who support students with diverse abilities. Finally, we are the only school in Richmond to host the International Baccaleureate Middle Years' Programme (IB MYP). We share a common philosophy with other IB World Schools —a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Hugh Boyd Secondary School believes is important for our students. 

• Who Are We?
  • Hugh Boyd Secondary is a culturally and socio-economically diverse population approximately 700 students.  Our student population includes nearly 140 students who receive English Language Learning support (Levels 1 through 5), over 100 students who are identified on the Ministry 1701 form as Special Needs students and approximately 25 students who identify as Indigenous.  Our International Student program enrols usually around 50 students.  School demographics as reported in the MyEducationBC Data Summary Report (September 2020) indicates that of the 48% of students whose home language is not English, the most commonly spoken languages are Cantonese (12%), Mandarin (10%), Tagalog (7.8%) and Japanese (3.6%).
• Our Strengths:
  • Hugh Boyd offers a range of learning opportunities designed to meet the needs and interests of the school population. 
  • Coupled with a strong academic program, Hugh Boyd also offers a comprehensive elective program and a host of specialty programs, including Advanced Placement Calculus, English Literature and Studio Art, a very strong Performing Arts Program (Music and Theatre), Combined Studies, and the Middle Years Program for all students, Grades 8-10.
  • Boyd’s Performing Arts Program offers a wide range of courses in theatre and music including Theatre, Drumming, Jazz and Concert Band, and continues to win competitions and produce professional quality Theatre productions.  These programs are complemented by a Visual Arts Program offering courses in Photography, Drawing and Painting, Ceramics and Sculpture and Advanced Placement Studio Arts.
  • The Boyd Combined Studies Program is an alternative academic program designed to meet the learning needs of students in Grade 11 and 12 who have not achieved success in the regular classroom.  Students must be capable of writing all required provincial exams and complete learning outcomes in a smaller class grouping.
  • The Incentive Program challenges motivated students in Grades 8-10 to achieve academic and personal excellence. It is designed to meet the needs of high ability students with potential leadership qualities. Students in each grade will study English, Social Studies, and Science in an environment designed to challenge them. There will be opportunities for cooperative learning, independent study, and out of school field trip experiences. Students must be independent thinkers and risk- takers in their approach to learning and possess critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. 
  • The Hugh Boyd Middle Years Program, is an International Baccalaureate program that all of our Grade 8-10 students are enrolled in.  Students are all educated using the IB Learner Profile tenets which has been “designed to develop internationally-minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world”.  Learners in this program strive to be: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced and Reflective.
  • Boyd’s Open House brings parents, school and community together to highlight the great work, care, and engagement of students and staff.
• Opportunities for our Students:
  • The Hugh Boyd Student Council fosters leadership with participation in a variety of leadership conferences including the school district’s Table 38 program. The council plans and facilitates social activities (such as spirit week activities), awareness activities (such as Earth Day awareness and Anti-bullying-Pink Shirt Day), and fundraising activities such as the annual Wake-a-thon which is raising money to help build a school in a developing country.  They are also involved in raising awareness and funds to support Cancer Research and other such causes.
  • The Interact club is a group of students connected to Richmond Rotary and whose goal is to promote Social Responsibility. They are heavily involved in several Social Responsibility efforts around Richmond, specifically doing shoreline clean ups in Garry Point and other initiatives that are often sponsored by the Rotary club.
  • Hugh Boyd has a dedicated PAC Executive and our monthly Parent Advisory Council meetings are an important venue for sharing information about progress towards our goals.  PAC has been instrumental in applying for and securing gaming funds to support student programs in the school. In addition, we have a large turn-out of parents to our athletic events, performing arts evenings and mini school activities.
  • Our school community acknowledges the importance of high levels of social responsibility and its impact on creating a safe, connected learning environment. In addition, empowerment through student leadership is a prominent feature of our school.
• Challenges:
  • The retention and success rates of our students is very good and our parents are extremely positive about the school. There remains, however, in the larger community, among those without current personal connections, some negative perceptions about Hugh Boyd in part because the school is small. Our challenge continues to be identifying ways to communicate the positive work and accomplishments of our students and staff and making the perceptions of Hugh Boyd more accurate.  We are proud of our students and our staff, of their work ethic, of their caring and of their many accomplishments.
  • Despite the small enrolment numbers, Hugh Boyd offers a wide array of program offerings to students. We believe it is important to continue to expand the number of options available for students that lead to success for all.  Hugh Boyd is a strong, well-balanced comprehensive school where students continue to provide energy and appreciation which sparks the enthusiasm of staff.  With the support of the parents, this school will continue to offer a wonderful education to the Boyd community.

The inclusive, diverse, close-knit community of Hugh Boyd Secondary School is characterized by our mission statement:

"Hugh Boyd develops compassionate and respectful young adults who are well-balanced, principled inquirers with an understanding of their responsibilities within society and as global citizens. Students balance academic excellence with attributes that allow them to realize their potential as whole learners in a dynamic and complex world."