The sections below describe the existing and planned public education facilities in the urban area. In addition to the public school system, there are several private and parochial schools that provide elementary and secondary education.

The Bend-LaPine School District

The Bend-La Pine School District is the only public school district serving the urban area. At the end of the 1990s, the district operated nine elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and several small special “magnet” programs within or adjacent to the Urban Growth Boundary. These schools serve the Bend urban area and several thousand households outside the urban area. Roughly two-thirds of the students in the Bend schools are from within the urban area. In addition to the Bend schools, the district has schools in Sunriver and La Pine that served about 1,650 students in 1997.

During the high growth period of 1988 through 1997, enrollment in the Bend schools increased almost 48 percent. This dramatic increase in students is another indicator that the majority of people moving to Central Oregon are not elderly, but younger families with school age children. Figure 3-5 shows the increase in total enrollment in the Bend schools for the ten year period ending in 1997.

In the early 1990s the Bend-La Pine School District constructed two elementary schools and one middle school to meet the rapid population growth. These new schools were above or near their maximum enrollment capacity within a year or two after they opened. Table 3-3 below compares the student load in 1997 with the design capacity of each school.

In October 1997, the school board accepted a school siting study prepared for the district in cooperation with the city and county. This study provides information on enrollment, siting needs, and other factors to help the district determine the type, location, and size of school sites needed during the next 20 years.

The school district’s estimate of future enrollment levels and school needs is based on the forecast population levels in the urban area and nearby rural lands.

Figure 3-6 shows the 1995 student levels and the forecast enrollment level for the public schools based on the 1997 siting study. It can be seen from the data in this figure that total enrollment in the Bend area public schools is expected to increase about 45 percent by the year 2015.

If the population growth and demographic patterns follow the forecasts in the 1997 study, there will be a need for three to five additional elementary schools, two to three new middle schools, and one or two new senior high schools or technical schools in the planning area by 2015. In 1998 local voters approved a $57 million bond levy to help meet the need for more schools. The bond will pay for construction of a new elementary school, a new middle school, a new high school and remodeling Bend High.

Identifying the location for new public schools is an important function of the Comprehensive Plan. The need for new schools is closely related to residential development and housing densities in the community. It is extremely important that schools be located with reference to the development pattern indicated on the Comprehensive Plan.

Elementary schools in particular can have a significant influence on the location or direction of growth in any given area, and will in themselves attract residential development. They should be centrally located in their service area, and spaced in a way that will permit reasonable locations for future schools as the area continues to grow. The city, county and Bend-La Pine school district will use the most recent studies to evaluate ways to ensure the timely development of new schools in the urban area.

Colleges and Universities

Central Oregon Community College is the state’s oldest two-year college, having been created in 1949. Located on the west slope of Awbrey Butte, the 200 acre campus features a 102 student residence hall, a 38,000 volume college/community library, a 300-seat performing arts center, and several lecture halls. The college has a long-standing policy to encourage community use of its buildings and facilities.

The college enrolls about 3,200 full-time and part-time students each term, plus another

3,000 to 4,000 community education students taking non-credit courses. Degrees offered by COCC include the Associate of Arts degree, the Associate of Science degree, and the Associate of Applied Science degree covering several technical and professional fields. The college serves more than just the Bend area, and its instructional programs extend to a 10,000 square mile service area through a network of community centers in Christmas Valley, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Redmond, Sisters, and Warm Springs.

OSU-Cascades, a branch campus of Oregon State university opened its doors in 2001 on the COCC campus. OSU-Cascades expanded to a four-year university when it welcomed its first freshman class in 2015.