As school boards across the province face the prospect of closing schools over the next few years, there are limited options for what can be done with the empty buildings.

An order from the education ministry in 2008 makes it hard to sell off school buildings and the land they stand on -- the government prefers to hold on to property in case it's needed for future use.

Under the new regulations, school districts can't sell school property without the ministry's approval, unless the buyer is an independent school.

In 2007, the Coquitlam school district closed five schools. Since then, private schools have taken out leases on two of the buildings, but the others still stand empty.

Fleetwood Elementary in Surrey closed last year, but to date, there's been no interest in the site from outside groups.

"It is subject to some heating and maintenance, as well as security. But it is empty. We are just waiting to see what we can do and what the ministry allows us to do with the site," said Doug Strachan, spokesman for the Surrey school district.

The district says that maintenance costs for an empty school are much lower than operation costs for one filled with students.

In Aldergrove, students will sit in County Line Elementary classrooms for the last time next week. The Langley school district was facing a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall, and decided to close the close in response to declining district.

There are no immediate plans for its use.

"All of our memories are here, so to come in the summer, and see our school boarded up, is going to be tough," one parent told CTV News.

North Vancouver's board voted in April to close three schools, and in early May, the district put out a notice requesting expressions of interest to rent out space in two of those schools.

Irene Young, secretary-treasurer for the North Vancouver school district, told ctvbc.ca that there was quite a bit of interest.

"There were a couple of daycares, some independent schools, and the developer of a nursing home," she said. "We're just reviewing the responses."

The Vancouver School Board announced on Tuesday that 11 schools could be closed beginning next year, and a 12th might be added to that list if enrolment doesn't improve.

A final decision on closing those schools isn't expected until late 2010.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Leah Hendry