Duncan McDonald School


Division 4, Duncan McDonald School, 1964.

Class photograph of Division 4 at
Duncan McDonald School in 1964.
City of Richmond Archives Photograph
1986 24 68. Click to enlarge image.

Duncan McDonald School (1962-1974) was built as an annex to Sea Island School to serve the needs of the children from the Cora Brown Subdivision on the north side of Vancouver International Airport. It closed because the federal government bought most of the land in the area for airport and runway expansion.

Duncan McDonald (1850-1919) purchased land on Sea Island in 1875 and bred Clydesdale horses and raised dairy cows. The first school on Sea Island was built on his property. He served on the Richmond Council for a couple of years during the 1880s and 1890s. McDonald Beach, a popular place to launch boats, was named after the family.