Attendance Area Review 2018-20

When will the new middle and high school boundaries go into effect?

For most students, the boundaries will go into effect when school starts in September 2021. However, for the 2021-22 school year, our new high school will include grades 9 and 10 only, therefore:

• For the 2021-22 school year, 11th and 12th grade students living in the new high school attendance area will be considered resident students in their previous attendance area. They will NOT need to complete an Area Change Request (ACR); and if they currently qualify to ride district buses, they will still be eligible to ride.

• For the 2022-23 school year, 12th grade students living in the new high school attendance area will be considered resident students in their previous attendance area. They will NOT need to complete an Area Change Request (ACR); and if they currently qualify to ride district buses, they will still be eligible to ride.

Will students be able to continue attending their current middle/high schools if their attendance area changes?

The district uses the Area Change Request (ACR) process to manage students’ requests.

Some students who wish to remain at their current middle/high schools will be guaranteed a spot at their current school, as long as they submit their ACR by March 1st, 2021:

• Students who will be 8th graders in the fall of 2021
• Students who will be 11th or 12th graders in the fall of 2021

All other students may complete an ACR, and these may be approved, depending on space available in schools, grade-level size, etc. The district does NOT provide transportation to students attending a school on an ACR.

Why is it so important to balance enrollment across our schools?

First, as stewards of our community’s investments in our schools, the district wants to build new schools only when enrollment exceeds space across an area, not just at an individual school. As the community grows, the attendance area review process provides the opportunity to look at issues of over- or under-enrollment and make the needed adjustments.

Second, for the high schools, the district has additional reasons to balance enrollment. High schools of similar sizes can offer a similar range of academic, elective, Career & Technical, and co-curricular programs. While Bend-area high schools don’t have exactly the same offerings, they are comparable in quality and scope. That remains the goal as the district prepares to open its fourth Bend-area large high school.

In addition, keeping the Bend-area high schools at approximately the same size will increase the likelihood that all four schools will be able to stay in the same OSAA classification for sports and activities, preferably in the same league. This would allow for significantly reduced travel, benefitting students and staff by more time in the classroom and costing far less.

In the fall of 2020, my student will be a freshman attending her high school on an Area Change Request (ACR). Will she need to fill out a new ACR when the boundaries change in the 2021-22 school year?

Yes. While ACRs typically stay in effect throughout a student’s tenure at a school, for the school year 2021-22, the district will require all incoming freshmen and sophomores desiring ACRs to complete the form. This is due to the multiple boundary changes created by the new high school and the desire to balance enrollment across high schools.