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 5,200 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.
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.
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 26 percent graduation rate for alternative high schools in the Eugene and Springfield School Districts, respectively.
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: