Timeline and Process

The new high school is currently in design development with BBT Architects. This design of the new high school has involved dozens of individuals engaged in focus groups including office staff, counselors, maintenance staff, teachers, and students. Construction is expected to start in late spring or early summer of 2019. Estimated completion is set for fall of 2021.

Design Features

The new two-story high school will be built to accommodate 1,600 students in grades 9-12 and will sit on 50 acres of land in southeast Bend. The design includes a large main hall that includes the cafeteria and commons. The media center is central to the school and serves as a focal point.

The new school is also slated to include:

• 37 classrooms
• 22 elective spaces
• Life skills classrooms with kitchen
• 600-seat auditorium
• Two gyms (one large, one small)
• Two secure main entries
• A football stadium and athletic fields
• High-energy efficiency throughout — from windows to no-wax floors, the building was designed with efficiency in mind.

Enrollment Growth

Between 2001 (when Summit High School opened) and 2018, Bend-La Pine Schools' enrollment has grown by nearly 5,100 students. According to state and local projections, this trend is expected to continue. In fact, Portland State University’s Population Research Center projects that our District will grow by almost 2,300 students in the next seven years (2025) alone.

Local High Schools are Over Capacity

Spaces like cafeterias, bathrooms, hallways, gyms, etc. at Bend area high schools, were built to accommodate approximately 1,500 students at each site. As student enrollment increases and overcrowding occurs, these spaces become congested and begin to wear at accelerated rates.

Bend Senior High School, built in the 1950s to accommodate 1,500 students, currently serves 1,779 students. Classrooms have been added over the years, but common areas like hallways, bathrooms and the cafeteria are undersized and are not meant to serve this school’s growing student population.

Mountain View High School, built in the 1970s to accommodate 1,500 students, currently serves 1,437 students and is expected to be significantly over capacity in the years to come without the addition of the new high school in Bend.

Summit High School, built in 2001 to accommodate 1,500 students, currently serves 1,567. It is expected to be significantly over capacity in the years to come without the addition of the new high school in Bend.

Future High School Enrollment Projections

From fall of 2016 to fall of 2020, high school student enrollment is expected to increase by 600 students. From fall of 2016 to fall of 2024 - 1,200 new students are expected to be enrolled in our high schools.

Overcrowding Effect on Teaching and Learning

Some classrooms meant for 20-30 students now hold classes of 40-50. Many students eat lunch in the halls or on stairways because there is not enough table space in the common areas, which were built for smaller enrollments. Staff rooms and libraries are serving as classroom space, causing the library/media center to be closed when it is needed to be used for class.