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About Home
Our Mission
To create relevant, responsive, and joyful learning communities where all students thrive.
Our Beliefs
The Bethel School District’s mission is grounded in a commitment to every student’s success. The Bethel Blueprint is our strategic plan—a clear, focused summary of to how we support student learning, well-being, and achievement. It’s built on shared values, community voice, and a drive for continuous improvement.
Our Commitments
Listening Deeply to those most impacted by our decisions.
Getting Better at Getting Better by continuously refining our systems to support student success.
We believe every student deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and experience joy, connection, and a sense of purpose.
We believe every student brings unique strengths and perspectives that deserve to be seen, honored, and uplifted.
We believe it is our responsibility to build equitable, responsive, and flexible systems that meet diverse student needs.
We believe our schools should be welcoming places where students, families, and staff feel valued and connected.
Bethel's History
The Bethel School District is the third largest district in Lane County. Located in northwest Eugene, the District encompasses 31 square miles and features bike trails, wetlands, public parks, streams and a portion of Fern Ridge Reservoir. We are situated in the Willamette Valley, a little more than an hour’s drive west to the Pacific Ocean and east to the Cascade Mountains.
Bethel School District was formed in 1948 with the consolidation of the Bethel, Irving, Clear Lake, Danebo, and Malabon school districts. Willamette High School opened in September of 1949 with an enrollment of 381. Alvadore was the last of six small districts to join Bethel in 1960.
Bethel is home to approximately 4,850 wonderfully diverse students and 800 dedicated employees who make up the Bethel Family. The District includes five K-5 elementary schools, two K-8 schools, two middle schools, an alternative high school and a comprehensive high school.
Our Community
With a population of 38,000, the Bethel community has shown exceptional support for its schools. In November 2020, Bethel School District’s $99.3 million bond was passed with a 66% Yes vote. It is the largest bond in District history. This follows a $49.5 million bond in 2012 that was approved with a 73% Yes vote.
Strong parental involvement is characteristic of Bethel School District. The Bethel Education Foundation, formed in 2009 by a group of engaged and caring parents, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars which are passed on to teachers in the form of grants to supplement programs and initiatives in our schools. Active and effective PTOs provide important support to our schools, and volunteers with the Bethel Boosters have assisted District students for decades.
Our Graduation Rates
01/26/2023
The Bethel School District sees high rates of on-time student graduations in 2022, topping three major metro-area districts and state average.
Bethel has reason to celebrate!
Graduation rate data released Jan. 26 by the Oregon Department of Education showed that the Bethel School District saw high rates of on-time graduation in the 2021-22 school year, with 81.7 percent of high school seniors graduating district-wide.
The rate topped overall district graduation rates of neighboring Eugene 4J and Springfield districts, as well as statewide graduation rates.
Willamette High School, the largest comprehensive high school in Lane County, saw 88.3 percent of its high school seniors graduate on time. This is following Willamette’s highest ever on-time graduation rate of 90.3 percent last school year.
In 2022, Willamette had the second highest graduation rate of all high schools in Eugene and Springfield and more than 15 percentage points higher than area high schools with a similar student demographics.
Kalapuya High School also has the highest graduation rate among alternative high schools of the three major metro-area districts with 45.3 percent of students graduating on time in the 2020-2021 school year. That’s compared with an about 28 percent to 26 percent graduation rate for alternative high schools in the Eugene and Springfield School Districts, respectively.
Meet the School Board
The Bethel School Board of Directors is an experienced, collaborative and caring group. The average length of service among Board members is 14 years. The Board goals for the current school year are:
- Provide and support effective, equitable and inclusive pre-K-12 academic, health, and behavior systems that support student achievement, to prepare all students to earn an Oregon diploma
- Communicate and collaborate with staff, community, legislators, and lobbying partners to provide accurate information and seek appropriate financial resources to meet Oregon’s and Bethel’s education goals for all students
- Track district growth to ensure proper development and planning for future operation