Living in Deer Lake, Burnaby
Deer Lake grades B overall (66/100), #15 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are schools, childcare and transit; its weakest are quiet streets and shops & food.
Deer Lake has about 1,688 home addresses across 5.1 km². Out of 20 residential areas, Deer Lake ranks #11 for families, #16 for seniors and #7 for commuters. It grades A for schools, parks, nature & outdoors, childcare, transit, highway access.
Explore Deer Lake on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | A (96) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | B (65) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | D (29) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (90) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (86) | How close homes are to a trail, natural area or shoreline the public can reach, to a bigger one for a bike ride (a river, lake or long trail), and to a major destination for a drive (a big lake, large park or the ocean) |
| Childcare | A (94) | Homes within 800 m of a licensed group centre or preschool, and 1 km of care for under-3s (home daycares alone don’t count) |
| Quiet streets | E (12) | How close homes are to traffic: right beside a highway counts most, fading out by 300 m; arterial roads fade out by 150 m and collector roads by 100 m (OpenStreetMap road types) |
| Shops & food | E (20) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | A (94) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | C (63) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | C (52) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | A (91) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 interchange |
Who lives here
About 9,145 people live in Deer Lake (2021 Census), with a median age of 46.3 (city: 41.5). 67.9% of households own their home and 32.6% rent. 34.4% of households are families with children at home, 12.7% of residents are under 15 and 22% are 65 or older. 30% of homes are houses and 17% are apartments.
Schools
93.8% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 100% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across Burnaby Schools (School District 41), 95.4% of students graduate within six years of starting Grade 8 (BC: 92.5%, 2024/2025); the Province doesn't publish this for single schools.
| School | Beats % of BC schools | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Burnaby Central Secondary secondary | 56 | 71% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%); 52% in graduation numeracy (BC 47%) |
| Douglas Road Elementary elementary | 55 | FSA reading beats 49% of BC schools; FSA math beats 61% |
| Gilpin Elementary elementary | 78 | FSA reading beats 80% of BC schools; FSA math beats 76% |
| Deer Lake SDA School independent elementary | 96 | FSA reading beats 97% of BC schools; FSA math beats 95% |
| Burnaby Montessori School independent elementary | – | Too few students to publish |
Provincial test results (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025) compared with every BC school. They don't count toward any grade, because scores follow family income closely. How we work these out.
Nature & outdoors
97.7% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Deer Lake Park, Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Central Valley Greenway, Deer Lake, Deer Lake Parkway Urban Trail and Burnaby Lake Sports Complex - West. A bike ride away: BC Parkway, The Trans Canada Trail, Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline and Central Park. A short drive away: Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Seaside Greenway, Fraser River (North Arm) and Trans Canada Trail.
Parks
11 city parks covering 185 hectares. 89.6% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
45 bus stops with 3,592 weekday departures on routes 110, 123, 133, 144. 93.8% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 1,813 crashes inside Deer Lake from 2021 to 2025, 610 of them with injuries or deaths.
Garbage day
Wednesday (zone 3A) for 85.4% of homes; Thursday (zone 4A) for 14.6% of homes
Crime
No public crime data exists at the neighbourhood level, so we don't estimate it.
Common questions about Deer Lake
Is Deer Lake a good place to live?
Deer Lake grades B overall (66/100), #15 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are schools, childcare and transit; its weakest are quiet streets and shops & food. For families it ranks #11, for seniors #16 and for commuters #7. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Deer Lake?
97.7% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Deer Lake Park, Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Central Valley Greenway, Deer Lake, Deer Lake Parkway Urban Trail and Burnaby Lake Sports Complex - West. A bike ride away: BC Parkway, The Trans Canada Trail, Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline and Central Park. A short drive away: Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Seaside Greenway, Fraser River (North Arm) and Trans Canada Trail. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Deer Lake?
Public schools inside the boundary: Burnaby Central Secondary, Douglas Road Elementary, Gilpin Elementary, Deer Lake SDA School, Burnaby Montessori School. 93.8% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Burnaby Schools (School District 41).
Are the schools in Deer Lake good?
On provincial tests, Deer Lake SDA School beats 96% of BC schools, Gilpin Elementary beats 78% of BC schools, Burnaby Central Secondary beats 56% of BC schools and Douglas Road Elementary beats 55% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD41 graduates 95.4% of students within six years (BC 92.5%). Test scores follow family income closely, so visit and talk to the school too.
How many people live in Deer Lake?
About 9,145 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 46.3. 67.9% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Deer Lake?
93.8% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 45 stops get 3,592 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
What day is garbage pickup in Deer Lake?
Wednesday (zone 3A) for 85.4% of homes; Thursday (zone 4A) for 14.6% of homes, on the City curbside schedule.
Compare Burnaby neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Royal Oak B · 78
- Brentwood B · 77
- Heights B · 76
- Garden Village B · 76
- South Slope B · 75
- East Burnaby B · 75
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- Montecito B · 74
- Lochdale B · 73
- Metrotown B · 73
- Broadview B · 72
- Holdom B · 71
- Lougheed B · 70
- Buckingham Heights B · 67
- Big Bend C · 60
- Lake City C · 59
- Bainbridge C · 57
- Burnaby Mountain C · 54
- Central Valley C · 54
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated