New Student Applications

No, ASIA Sumas is a District Program. This means that we are a publicly-funded school in the district of Abbotsford but we do not have a boundary catchment. If your address is in the Abbotsford district and your child is creative and passionate about the arts, we encourage you to apply at ASIA Sumas.

When you and your child arrive at ASIA Sumas for the interview, our administrators will ask about how your child learns, creates, and collaborates with others in an artistic setting. Portfolios do not need to be extensive, but it is an excellent opportunity for students to demonstrate their creative abilities. This could include recordings of dance performances, playing instruments, singing, art sketchbooks, photography, images of Lego constructions, or anything else that demonstrates an artistic flair. We find that students are able to speak about their creative works more openly than just speaking about themselves. 

No, you are already registered! We do ask that you let the office at North Poplar know that you are continuing at ASIA Sumas Mountain. We have many students wanting to attend ASIA Sumas from other schools but priority is given to students currently enrolled in the program at North Poplar.

No to curriculum differences, yes to delivery. As a public school in British Columbia, we are mandated to follow the Ministry of Education's curriculum. We take pride in teaching the curriculum in an adventurous, hands-on, creative, and arts-focused manner. Students are pushed to convey their learning in a variety of methods, including presentations, group projects, and the use of various media to visually, musically, digitally, and dramatically demonstrate their learning.

In grades 6 – 8, students explore all of the arts, drama, dance, music, visual art, and digital art and are expected to take part to the best of their ability. Students work with teachers to learn new skills in each of the arts as well as integrate the arts into each of the academic classes.  Once students reach secondary school, grade 9, they can then choose to focus on one or more of the arts as it fits into their timetable. Often students will take art electives they are most interested in that will help to balance out the required classes they need for graduation.

We are a small campus, with around 400 students from grades 6 – 12. Students in middle school work in PODs with 2 teachers who share academic instruction. All curriculum from the Ministry of Education is taught. When students transition to secondary school, grade 9, students begin working with the school counsellor to determine the best pathway of classes for each student not just for the year, but for the span of grades 9 – 12. Course selections are carefully and intentionally planned to make sure students get exactly what they want and need for graduation.

Not at all. We offer all of the senior science classes like Anatomy, Life Science, Physics & Chemistry as well as Foundations of Math, Workplace Math, and Pre-Calculus. In saying that, classes may not be offered every semester. This is where careful planning and course selection are undertaken by our counsellor to ensure that students get the classes they need. We also have a strong partnership with the Abbotsford Virtual School to help students who are looking for other classes that don’t fit into their timetable. We do what we can to make sure all student needs are met!

The workload differs. With high standards and encouragement, our children achieve excellence academically. Students learn to gather information and display it in a variety of ways. Students may be asked to present, make projects, work in groups, take an exam, or discuss what they have learned. Students are encouraged to perform their best and to self-advocate for assistance from our staff. ASIA Sumas graduates indicate that they are more than prepared for university and do very well in the transition to post-secondary education. We believe in equipping our students with more than simply knowledge to excel in the community. We teach collaboration, communication, and resiliency to prepare students for their next steps.

If you are interested in attending ASIA Sumas, our registration will open on February 1st. A link will be made available at this time that allows you to connect with us and leave your contact information/provide a little information about your interest in the program.  We then contact you to arrange an interview and school tour based on availability and suitability for the program.  As a district program, we do have a waiting list for each of the grades. This is not a first-come-first-serve waiting list but instead a working list that makes sure the needs of students are met and that each of the classes is balanced. We suggest you look through our website for examples of our Art Integration and our student work.  Students thrive at ASIA Sumas if they have a passion for the arts. Students do their best here when they are connected to the arts and need a creative outlet to demonstrate their learning. We have found students with a strong portfolio, a passion for the arts, and a curiosity for learning to connect the best with our school. 

You are welcome to put in your application for our school. When we start to call for interviews, your place of residence will be considered and if there is availability in a grade, we will look to neighbouring districts for applicants. Anyone out of the Abbotsford School District will have to re-apply yearly as per AP 336

Yes! We often have after-school programs like our drama productions, musical theatre, jazz choir (secondary), and jazz band (secondary).

You may contact the Abbotsford school district transportation department. In late Spring, the registration will open for bussing for the following school year. We are also very close to the City bus line and a search on the website using our address, 36232 Lower Sumas Mountain Road will help you to determine if public transportation will work for you.