North Vancouver neighbourhood scores
Living in Valley Centre, North Vancouver
Valley Centre grades A overall (81/100), #6 of 40 residential areas in and around North Vancouver. Its strongest categories are schools, shops & food and health care; its weakest are road safety.
Valley Centre has about 409 home addresses across 0.9 km². Out of 40 residential areas, Valley Centre ranks #28 for families, #2 for seniors and #8 for commuters. It grades A for schools, kids at home, parks, nature & outdoors, childcare, shops & food, transit, health care, highway access.
Explore Valley Centre on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | A (100) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | A (82) | 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 (87) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (81) | 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 (87) | 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 | C (48) | 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 | A (100) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | A (99) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | A (100) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | B (77) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | A (85) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 interchange |
Who lives here
About 3,415 people live in Valley Centre (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.1 (city: 44.1). 69.5% of households own their home and 30.7% rent. 39.6% of households are families with children at home, 17.2% of residents are under 15 and 16.6% are 65 or older. 18% of homes are houses and 60% are apartments.
Schools
100% 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 North Vancouver School District (School District 44), 98.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lynn Valley Elementary elementary | 71 | FSA reading beats 67% of BC schools; FSA math beats 75% |
| Argyle Secondary secondary | 83 | 87% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%); 61% in graduation numeracy (BC 47%) |
| Vancouver Waldorf School independent elementary | 84 | FSA reading beats 93% of BC schools; FSA math beats 75% |
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
98.8% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Lynn Canyon Park and Loutet Park. A bike ride away: Ocean or tidal shoreline, The Trans Canada Trail, Baden Powell Trail, Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and Seymour River. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Trans Canada Trail, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Cypress Provincial Park and Seaside Greenway.
Parks
5 city parks covering 1.6 hectares. 100% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
21 bus stops with 2,180 weekday departures on routes 209, 210, 227, 228, 229, 240, N24. 98.8% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 334 crashes inside Valley Centre from 2021 to 2025, 85 of them with injuries or deaths.
Crime
No public crime data exists at the neighbourhood level, so we don't estimate it.
Common questions about Valley Centre
Is Valley Centre a good place to live?
Valley Centre grades A overall (81/100), #6 of 40 residential areas in and around North Vancouver. Its strongest categories are schools, shops & food and health care; its weakest are road safety. For families it ranks #28, for seniors #2 and for commuters #8. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Valley Centre?
98.8% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Lynn Canyon Park and Loutet Park. A bike ride away: Ocean or tidal shoreline, The Trans Canada Trail, Baden Powell Trail, Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and Seymour River. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Trans Canada Trail, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Cypress Provincial Park and Seaside Greenway. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Valley Centre?
Public schools inside the boundary: Lynn Valley Elementary, Argyle Secondary, Vancouver Waldorf School. 100% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with North Vancouver School District (School District 44).
Are the schools in Valley Centre good?
On provincial tests, Vancouver Waldorf School beats 84% of BC schools, Argyle Secondary beats 83% of BC schools and Lynn Valley Elementary beats 71% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD44 graduates 98.5% 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 Valley Centre?
About 3,415 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.1. 69.5% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Valley Centre?
98.8% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 21 stops get 2,180 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
Compare North Vancouver neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Upper West Lynn A · 86
- Pemberton Heights A · 84
- Boundary A · 81
- Highlands A · 81
- Lynn Canyon A · 81
- Norgate A · 80
- West Lynn Terrace A · 80
- Indian River B · 79
- Lower Capilano Marine B · 77
- Capilano B · 76
- Central Lynn B · 76
- Delbrook B · 76
- Handsworth B · 76
- Keith Lynn B · 76
- Riverside West B · 76
- Kirkstone B · 76
- Norwood Queens B · 75
- City of North Vancouver B · 75
- Carisbrooke B · 74
- Canyon Heights B · 73
- Lions Gate B · 73
- Cleveland B · 70
- Lynnmour South B · 70
- Upper Lynn B · 70
- Deep Cove B · 69
- Grousewoods B · 69
- Lower West Lynn B · 67
- Blueridge B · 66
- Cove Cliff B · 66
- Dollarton B · 66
- Parkway B · 66
- McCartney Woods C · 64
- Seymour Heights C · 64
- Riverside East C · 63
- Maplewood C · 62
- Upper Delbrook C · 62
- Windsor Park C · 58
- Braemar C · 56
- Indian Arm Communities D · 32
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated