Independent Islamic school in Richmond founded in 2003 within the Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre, a Shia centre - AZIA is the school arm and its calendar marks Shia observances. Publishes 230+ students, 25 staff, a 9.2:1 student-faculty ratio, 11 nationalities, a 1.26-acre campus and 10,000+ library books; offers Quran and Islamic studies, transportation, food service and counselling. Principal Sakina Walli-Merali, BC school code 03896729. Enrolment 230 is the floor of the published '230+'. BC Ministry of Education Group 1 certified independent school - Group 1 schools must employ BC-certified teachers and deliver the BC curriculum, and are inspected by the ministry. Note BC certifies rather than accredits, so `accredited` is left null.
At a glance
Tuition
Kindergarten to Grade 7: $6,000/year, plus a $600 re-enrolment/registration fee credited toward September tuition on confirmed enrolment and a $150 new-student admission fee. Junior Kindergarten is billed monthly: $1,445/month under 3 years and $1,431/month for 3+ before government support, reduced automatically by $545/month through CCFRI/CCOF to $900 and $886 respectively, with income-based Affordable Child Care Benefit available on top. Activity fee $15/month for all students. Financial aid is offered. Tuition changes yearly and discounts for siblings are common — confirm the current figure with the school before budgeting.
Programs & standing
What we haven’t confirmed
We could not establish: co-ed or single-sex, hifz program, before/after care. Those are published as gaps rather than filled with a plausible guess. If you know the answer — especially if you are from this organisation — tell us and we will verify and update the listing.
Where to go next
Sources for this listing
Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the references below. Details change — check the original source before relying on any figure, fee or legal position.
- Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy - Home — azia.ca
- Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy - Tuition & Fees — azia.ca
- Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy - History — azia.ca
- BC Ministry of Education - Independent Schools list (School and District Contact Information) — bcschoolcontacts.gov.bc.ca