The Beaverton School District (BSD 48J) is a school district in and around Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It serves students throughout Beaverton, Hillsboro, Aloha, and unincorporated neighborhoods of Portland, OR. The Beaverton Elementary School District 48 was established in 1876, with other elementary districts later merged into the district.[6] The elementary district was later merged with the high school district (10J) to create a unified school district.[6] It is the third-largest school district[7] in the state, with an enrollment of 39,180 students as of 2022. For the 2022–2023 school year, the district had a total budget of $622.8 million.
The district employs over 2,100 teachers at its 34 elementary, nine middle, and six high schools as well as several option schools. Mountainside High School, the district's sixth high school, opened in 2017. Tumwater Middle School (previously Timberland), the district's ninth middle school, opened in the fall of 2021.[8][9]
History
District 48 was established in 1876 as the "Beaverton Elementary School District", serving grades 1–8. Over the years it merged with other elementary districts and finally, in July 1960, merged with the Beaverton High School District to create one unified school district.[10] The district has followed the trends throughout the US, establishing schools for 7th–9th grades in the mid-1960s (to make a 6-3-3 system) and then in 1994 moving 6th grade into middle school and 9th grade back into high school to form the current 5-3-4 configuration.[11]
The Beaverton School District's school-age population grew by 44% in the 1990s, but by only 14% in the 2000s. The median age in the district increased from 33.3 in 2000 to 35.3 in 2010. The total population of the area under the district's jurisdiction was 253,198 as of the 2010 census.[12]
From March 2020 - March 2021, all students were instructed remotely either through online learning or through comprehensive distance learning. Return to in-person instruction began in April, 2021 with a hybrid model. About half of the district's students chose in-person hybrid instruction with the rest choosing to continue comprehensive distance learning [13]
*Enrollment numbers are for 2019-2020 school year. Due to boundary changes or construction in the area, actual number may vary.
**Springville and Raleigh Hills were previously K-8 schools, with a choice for students in grades 6-8 to remain but were transitioned to K-5 in the 2023-2024 school year. Aloha-Huber Park remains a K-8 for dual language immersion students.[18][19]
Middle schools
The Beaverton School District operates nine middle schools housing 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Prior to the 1994–95 school year they housed students in grades 7–9, as a part of the district's 6-3-3 plan established in the 1960s.
*Enrollment numbers are for 2019-2020 school year. Due to boundary changes or construction in the area, actual number may vary.
**Numbers in the LRFP are outdated as statistics at Stoller were taken before the opening of Tumwater. See sources for updated numbers.
High schools
High schools in Beaverton are part of the 6A-2 Metro League for interscholastic athletics and activities.[23] The newest, Mountainside High School, opened in September 2017 for freshmen and sophomores.[24] As a result, the district began planning to alter its high school boundaries.[25] The boundary changes were approved in June 2017 and went into effect at the beginning of the 2017–2018 school year.[26]
Houses Community School, Merlo Station Night School, and School of Science and Technology. Principal: Rachel Sip.
Rachel Carson Environmental Middle School (RCEMS)
Located at Cedar Park Middle School, it focuses on environmental science for 6th through 8th grade students. Principal: Shirley Brock.
Summa
Programs at Meadow Park, Whitford, Stoller and Tumwater middle schools for talented and gifted students. 795 students were enrolled in Summa classes at five middle schools for the 2014–2015 school year.[29]
In November 2014 a plan to move Summa students who attend Stoller Middle School to the newly constructed Tumwater middle school as a solution to overcrowding was proposed, but was delayed in November 2015 due to opposition from parents and school administration.[30][31]
Closed schools
The former Cedar Hills Elementary School building, now repurposed as the Cedar Hills Recreation Center.The Home Depot store at the former location of Sunset Valley Elementary School.
Cedar Hills Elementary School
Built in the early 1950s;[32] closed in 1983.[33] The building was repurposed as the Cedar Hills Recreation Center of the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD), initially leased from BSD, but sold to THPRD circa late 1986.[34]
Garden Home Elementary School
Closed in 1982 and leased to THPRD, who put it to use as the Garden Home Community Center starting later the same year.[35] The building was later sold to THPRD.[34]
Merle Davies Elementary School (named Beaverton Grade School until 1949)
Opened in 1938; closed in 1983.[33] The building became an annex to Beaverton High School, located directly adjacent, and remains in use as such.
Sunset Valley Elementary School
Opened in 1948, and closed in 1980.[36] The building and property were purchased in 1979 by Electro Scientific Industries,[37] which used it until the mid-1990s. The building was then razed and replaced by a Home Depot store.[36]
According to the Beaverton School District's website, the school board is "responsible for providing an education program for students living within the District boundaries."[39] The board members for the 2022–2023 school year are Susan Greenberg, Sunita Garg, Eric Simpson, Vice Chair Karen Pérez, Ugonna Enyinnaya, Becky Tymchuk and Chair Tom Colett.[40]
Superintendent
The current Beaverton School District superintendent is Dr. Gustavo Balderas, who has served since July 1, 2022.
Demographics
Older Beaverton School District logo, used before 20112011–2014 version of current logo
In the 2009 school year, the district had 1114 students classified as homeless by the state's Department of Education, or 3.0% of students in the district.[41] By 2010, the number of homeless students had grown to 1,580, the highest of any school district in the state.[42]
Teacher/student ratios
The following are the district's teacher/student staffing ratios (K-5 numbers have been updated for the 2019–2020 school year):[needs update]
^"Cedar Hills Starts Work On New Grade School" (May 7, 1950). The Sunday Oregonian, Section 1, p. 9.
^ abThompson, Carla (May 17, 1983). "Two Beaverton grade schools to close in fall". The Oregonian. p. MW1.
^ abOstergren, Jack (November 18, 1986). "District 48 OKs sale of schools". The Oregonian (West Metro ed.). p. B6.
^Graydon, Charlotte (May 6, 1983). "Leased schoolhouse teeming with activity". The Oregonian (West Metro ed.). p. D1.
^ abVarner, Gerald H. (2000). School Days: A History of Public Schools In and Around Beaverton, Oregon, 1856–2000. pp. 21–22, 30–33. ISBN0-9642353-3-1.
^Leeson, Jeanne (April 8, 1980). "Worthwhile experience: Children, industry share school rooms". The Oregonian (Washington County ed.). p. W1.
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