Bend-La Pine Schools see record enrollment

For the first time in history, Bend-La Pine Schools’ October 1 enrollment exceeded 18,000 students, officials said Monday. Oregon’s fifth-largest school district has added 500 new students since this time last year.

Superintendent Shay Mikalson said the growth presents both challenges and opportunities.

“Currently, half of our Bend area school are near or above capacity,” he said. “We are hiring new teachers, finding creative locations for temporary instructional spaces and bringing in temporary, modular classrooms to accommodate the surging student population.

“Years of continued enrollment growth creates opportunity for additional, innovative course offerings … including new pre-engineering, culinary and arts programs at the middle school level and new language and career technical classes at the high school level.”

Meanwhile, the Jefferson County School District reported an Oct. 1 enrollment of 2,960 students, up 41 students, or 1.4 percent from a year ago but still below the 2014 figure of 2,973 students and the 3,063 enrollment in 2006, the highest in recent memory, officials said.

Crook County School District reported an Oct. 1 enrollment of 3,015 students, up 35 from a year ago. The Culver School District has seen its enrollment decline by 14 students over the past year, to total 682.

Bend-La Pine Schools’ enrollment has increased dramatically in the past five years — up more than 1,700 students since 2011. The student population had increased nearly 3,000 students in the past decade.

“We are excited to welcome new families to our schools and believe our school system, and its reputation for excellence, is one factor that leads families to settle in Central Oregon,” Mikalson said. “Our students are outscoring peers on statewide benchmarks and our schools are preparing students for success after graduation.”

The district keeps a close eye on enrollment projections through its Sites and Facilities volunteer committee and through work with Portland State University’s Center for Population Research.

PSU estimates Bend-La Pine Schools’ student population will continue to grow during the next decade and is expected to reach 19,600 students by 2021. The Sites and Facilities committee estimates the district will need to build seven new schools in the next 20 years to accommodate student enrollment growth.

This year’s enrollment rise is the largest number of added students since 2007, when 515 new students were counted, a year that also saw 3.4 percent enrollment growth. Back in 2002, the district added 551 students, up 4.2 percent from the previous years. But the record rise was in 1989, when the school district added kindergarten and its 539 students, for an 821-student jump, up 10.3 percent in a year.