Living in Brackendale, Squamish
Brackendale grades C overall (60/100), #11 of 15 residential areas in and around Squamish. Its strongest categories are highway access, nature & outdoors and parks; its weakest are health care and shops & food.
Brackendale has about 966 home addresses across 5 km². Out of 15 residential areas, Brackendale ranks #6 for families, #13 for seniors and #9 for commuters. It grades A for kids at home, parks, nature & outdoors, highway access.
Explore Brackendale on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | B (66) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | A (81) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | B (72) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (83) | 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 | B (70) | 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 | D (39) | 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 | D (29) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | C (50) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | E (1) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | B (70) | 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 99 interchange |
Who lives here
About 3,375 people live in Brackendale (2021 Census), with a median age of 38.8 (city: 38). 84.3% of households own their home and 14.5% rent. 39.4% of households are families with children at home, 21% of residents are under 15 and 11.5% are 65 or older. 59% of homes are houses and 3% are apartments.
Schools
50% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 96.4% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across Sea to Sky School District (School District 48), 95.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Brackendale Elementary elementary | 48 | FSA reading beats 53% of BC schools; FSA math beats 42% |
| Don Ross Middle School middle | 20 | FSA reading beats 22% of BC schools; FSA math beats 18% |
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
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Squamish River, Sea to Sky Trail, Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park, Fisherman's Beach, Ray Peters Trail and Wonderland. A bike ride away: Tantalus Provincial Park, Cheakamus River, Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area, Mamquam River and Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest Trails. A short drive away: Esté-tiwilh/Sigurd Creek Conservancy, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, Brohm Lake Day Use Recreation Site and Alice Lake Provincial Park.
Parks
8 city parks covering 2.1 hectares. 92.8% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
20 bus stops with 455 weekday departures on routes 1. 87.5% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 115 crashes inside Brackendale from 2021 to 2025, 24 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 Brackendale
Is Brackendale a good place to live?
Brackendale grades C overall (60/100), #11 of 15 residential areas in and around Squamish. Its strongest categories are highway access, nature & outdoors and parks; its weakest are health care and shops & food. For families it ranks #6, for seniors #13 and for commuters #9. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Brackendale?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Squamish River, Sea to Sky Trail, Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park, Fisherman's Beach, Ray Peters Trail and Wonderland. A bike ride away: Tantalus Provincial Park, Cheakamus River, Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area, Mamquam River and Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest Trails. A short drive away: Esté-tiwilh/Sigurd Creek Conservancy, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, Brohm Lake Day Use Recreation Site and Alice Lake Provincial Park. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Brackendale?
Public schools inside the boundary: Brackendale Elementary, Don Ross Middle School. 50% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Sea to Sky School District (School District 48).
Are the schools in Brackendale good?
On provincial tests, Brackendale Elementary beats 48% of BC schools and Don Ross Middle School beats 20% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD48 graduates 95.3% 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 Brackendale?
About 3,375 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 38.8. 84.3% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Brackendale?
87.5% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 20 stops get 455 BC Transit departures on a weekday. Transit grades C.
Compare Squamish neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Downtown A · 85
- Waterfront A · 84
- Hospital Hill A · 83
- Dentville B · 79
- Garibaldi Estates B · 78
- Valleycliffe B · 73
- Mamquam B · 71
- Crumpit Woods B · 65
- Garibaldi Highlands C · 62
- Business Park C · 60
- Tantalus C · 58
- North Yards C · 58
- Loggers East C · 58
- University Highlands C · 53
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated