Five portable classrooms and rented space in the church next door for Regina Huda School's Grade 8 students now house the school's growing student body.

Vice-principal Pam Spock has been with the school 11 years. When she first graduated she felt very fortunate to get a job right out of university, but said she now realizes she was even more fortunate to have secured a job at Regina Huda School.

"Oh it's been incredible. When I first started here there might have been 10 teachers. We all fit around a little table for staff meetings," said Spock.

Students on 'Traditional Dress day' at Regina Huda School. (Alec Salloum/CBC )

Now, the school has 40 teachers and staff to accommodate its 425 students.

"When I started we had fewer than 20 high school students, now we have 100. So much has changed," said Spock.

Spock feels Regina Huda School's growth is a reflection of the changing diversity of the city and the Coronation Park neighbourhood.

As a math and science teacher Spock has been a major element in the student's education, as sciences are a major focus of the school, which does away with art and music classes in favour of Islamic studies, Quran class, and Arabic.

Starla Nistor, the school's principal, grew up in Coronation Park and after years working around the city she's happy to be back.

Students at Regina Huda School during daily prayer. (Alec Salloum/CBC)

"When I was growing up it was like a small town feel," said Nistor of Coronation Park. "I think it still has that small town feel. Now, we have lot of Muslim families in the community because they want to stay close to all of the people within the community."

But the school is bursting at the seams.

"Every classroom is as full as it can possibly be," said Nistor. ​"We've run out of space."

The new addition will mean the school will be able to accommodate 600 to 650 students. It will also mean that students we all be able to be in the building, as opposed to portable classrooms and rented space in other buildings.

Now, with over 300 students on their waiting list, the 15-classroom expansion can't come soon enough, though the estimated date of completion is September 2017.