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{{Short description|School district in Oregon, United States}}
{{refimprove}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
'''Eugene School District''' (4J) is a public [[school district]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]]. It is one of two school districts that serve the city of [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]].
{{More citations needed|date=January 2010}}
{{Infobox school district
| name = Eugene School District 4J
| logo =
| motto = 4J Vision 20/20: Every student connected to community and empowered to succeed
| type = Public
| budget =
| us_nces_district_id = {{NCES District ID|4104740 |district_name=Eugene SD 4J |access_date=2022-03-05}}
| established = 1854
| city = Eugene
| state = Oregon
| grades = PreK–12<ref name="nces_dist" />
| superintendent = Colt Gill (Interim)
| schools =
| students = 15,110.44 (2023-24)<ref name="nces_dist" />
| teachers = 1,111 ([[Full-time equivalent|FTE]])<ref name="nces_dist" />
| staff = 2,152 ([[Full-time equivalent|FTE]])<ref name="nces_dist" />
| ratio = 13.60:1<ref name="nces_dist" />
| conference =
| accreditation =
| address = 200 North Monroe Street
| country = [[United States]]
| website = {{URL2|https://www.4j.lane.edu}}
}}


'''Eugene School District''' (4J) is a public [[school district]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]]. It is one of two school districts that serve the city of [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]].
One of the largest of Oregon's approximately 200 school districts, 4J serves about 16,500 students and spans 155 square miles in the southern Willamette Valley, including the city of Coburg and a small part of Linn County to the north. About 85 percent of the City of Eugene lies inside 4J's boundaries. The district that would evolve into 4J started in 1854, five years before Oregon attained statehood.

Also known as '''Lane County School District Number 4J''',{{citation needed}} it is so-named because it was the fourth school district incorporated in the county. It is also a joint (J) district, because it also covers a small part of [[Linn County, Oregon|Linn County]] to the north. The district's name changed in 1964, when it absorbed Coburg School, whose attendance boundary goes nearly to [[Harrisburg, Oregon|Harrisburg]].


==Demographics==
==Demographics==
Eugene School District 4J spans {{convert|155|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} in the southern Willamette Valley, including the city of [[Coburg, Oregon|Coburg]] and a small part of Linn County to the north. About 85 percent of the City of Eugene lies inside 4J's boundaries.<ref name="facts">{{cite web |title=ODE District Estimates |url=https://www.oregon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/grants/Documents/2024-25%20State%20School%20Fund/24-25%20ADMw%20breakout%206-20-24.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url= |archive-date= |publisher=Eugene School District}}</ref> It also includes a portion of [[Springfield, Oregon|Springfield]], and most of the [[census-designated places]] of [[River Road, Oregon|River Road]] and [[Santa Clara, Oregon|Santa Clara]].<ref name=Schooldistmap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st41_or/schooldistrict_maps/c41039_lane/DC20SD_C41039.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lane County, OR|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|pages=1-2 (PDF p. 2-3/3)|access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref> The Linn County portion only includes [[unincorporated areas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st41_or/schooldistrict_maps/c41043_linn/DC20SD_C41043.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Linn County, OR|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-03-10}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st41_or/schooldistrict_maps/c41043_linn/DC20SD_C41043_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>
About 16,500 students attend school in the district's 22 elementary school programs, two K–8 programs, 10 middle school programs, and 10 high school programs. The three public charter schools located in the district serve about 530 additional students.

About 15,100 students attend school in the district's 20 elementary school programs, 8 middle schools, 4 comprehensive high schools and various alternative high school programs<ref name=facts/> — making it one of the most populous of Oregon's approximately 200 school districts. The five public charter schools located in the district serve about 850 additional students.

Approximately 25 percent of the student body and 10 percent of the teaching staff are members of racial/ethnic minority groups.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/sevendays/24326264-35/district-minority-teachers-diversity-students.csp|title=Schools Reach Diversity Goal: The Eugene School District hopes to continue to increase the proportion of minority teachers|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]|pages=2|access-date=2010-01-07}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Nearly 50 percent of students in the Eugene School District qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a key measure of poverty in school districts. In the 2009 school year, the district had 743 students classified as homeless by the [[Oregon Department of Education|Department of Education]], or 4.2% of students in the district.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/education_impact/2009/09/homelessbydistrict.pdf |title=Count of homeless students in Oregon school districts, 2008-2009 |publisher=[[The Oregonian]] |pages=6 |access-date=2009-09-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910202612/http://blog.oregonlive.com/education_impact/2009/09/homelessbydistrict.pdf |archive-date=2012-09-10 }}</ref>

==History==
The district that would evolve into Eugene School District 4J started in 1854, five years before Oregon attained statehood. The district is numbered ''4J'' because it was the fourth school district incorporated in [[Lane County, Oregon|Lane County]] and is a joint (J) district — its boundary includes a small part of [[Linn County, Oregon|Linn County]] to the north. The district's name changed in 1964, when it absorbed Coburg School (since closed and now one of the 5 charter schools), whose attendance boundary goes nearly to [[Harrisburg, Oregon|Harrisburg]].<ref name=facts/>

==School district structure==
Eugene School District 4J is a K–12 public school district with elementary schools serving grades K–5, middle schools serving grades 6–8, high schools serving grades 9–12, and special education transition programs up to age 21. Every residence in the district is within the attendance boundary of a neighborhood elementary, middle and high school. A majority of students attend their neighborhood schools, but the district's school choice policy allows students to enroll in a different neighborhood school or an alternative school through the school choice process, and a large percentage do so. The district also accepts enrollment from students who reside outside the district boundaries.

===School choice policy===
Choice is a key element of the Eugene School District, which is home to several alternative education programs (sometimes known as [[magnet schools]], in Eugene such programs are called "alternative schools") including five language immersion programs in four languages—Spanish, Japanese, French and Chinese. The district's sometimes-controversial<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2005/01/27/coverstory.html|title=Choice and Lawyers: Does 4J's school-picking game leave too many losers?|publisher=[[Eugene Weekly]]|date=2005-01-27|access-date=2010-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221171445/http://eugeneweekly.com/2005/01/27/coverstory.html|archive-date=2010-12-21|url-status=dead}}</ref> open school choice<ref name="choice">{{cite web |title=School Choice |url=https://4j.lane.edu/schoolchoice |publisher=Eugene School District}}</ref> policy<ref name=policy>{{cite web|title=School Policy|url=http://policy.osba.org/eugene/J/JECC%20D1.PDF|publisher=Oregon School Boards Association Policies Online}}</ref> means that families who live in the district may enroll their children in any 4J school, provided there is space available. Most parents choose to have their children attend the neighborhood school near their home, but others elect to enroll their children in a different neighborhood school or in an alternative school. For students requesting enrollment in a school other than their own neighborhood school, open slots are granted in an order determined by the district's annual school choice lottery.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.discovereugene.com/education/a-parents-guide-to-education-in-eugene/|title=A Parent's Guide to Education in Eugene|publisher=[[DiscoverEugene]] (www.DiscoverEugene.com)|access-date=2010-01-29|archive-date=July 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710132434/http://www.discovereugene.com/education/a-parents-guide-to-education-in-eugene/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==School programs==


===Alternative schools and language immersion===
Approximately 25 percent of the student body and 10 percent of the teaching staff are members of racial/ethnic minority groups. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/sevendays/24326264-35/district-minority-teachers-diversity-students.csp|title=Schools Reach Diversity Goal: The Eugene School District hopes to continue to increase the proportion of minority teachers|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]|pages=2|accessdate=2010-01-07}}</ref>
Among the district's 20 elementary schools, five schools immerse the students in a foreign language for half or all of the day: River Road/El Camino del Rio Spanish/English dual immersion,<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/21078344-41/story.csp
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121125220741/http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/21078344-41/story.csp
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=2012-11-25
|title=Dual Effort: Students in a unique immersion program in Eugene are learning two languages at once
|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]
|access-date=2010-01-28
}}</ref> Buena Vista Spanish immersion,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/sevendays/24351906-35/buena-vista-kindergarten-students-meadowlark.csp|title=Immersed in Controversy: A decision to add kindergarten at Buena Vista Elementary stirs some unease at neighbor school|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]|date=2010-01-14|access-date=2010-01-29}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Yujin Gakuen Japanese immersion, Charlemagne French immersion and, starting in fall 2017, a Mandarin Chinese language immersion program.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/35112640-75/eugene-school-districts-next-immersion-program-mandarin-chinese.html.csp|title=Eugene School District's next immersion program: Mandarin Chinese|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]|date=2016-12-26|access-date=2017-05-13}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.discovereugene.com/education/elementary-school-language-immersion-programs/|title=Elementary School Language Immersion Programs:4J School District, Eugene, Oregon.|publisher=[[DiscoverEugene]] (www.DiscoverEugene.com)|access-date=2010-01-29|archive-date=July 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710133337/http://www.discovereugene.com/education/elementary-school-language-immersion-programs/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Language immersion offerings continue K–12, allowing students to continue their intensive Spanish, French or Japanese programs through middle school and high school. The Chinese immersion program launching in 2017 is planned to grow to continue through middle and high school. The district also has two non-language-immersion alternative (magnet) elementary schools that have no neighborhood catchment area and enroll students solely by request and lottery placement: Corridor Elementary School and Family School. [[Eugene International High School]] offers programs within three of the district's four regional high schools — Churchill, Sheldon and South Eugene.


===Elementary schools===
About 40 percent of students in the Eugene School District qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a key measure of poverty in school districts. In the 2009 school year, the district had 743 students classified as homeless by the [[Oregon Department of Education|Department of Education]], or 4.2% of students in the district.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/education_impact/2009/09/homelessbydistrict.pdf|title=Count of homeless students in Oregon school districts, 2008-2009|publisher=[[The Oregonian]]|pages=6|accessdate=2009-09-18}}</ref>
The Eugene School District's elementary schools serve grades K–5. Full-day kindergarten is provided in all of the district's elementary schools.


==Elementary schools==
*Adams Elementary School
*Adams Elementary School
*Arts & Technology Academy (K–8)
*Awbrey Park Elementary School
*Awbrey Park Elementary School
*Bertha Holt Elementary School
*Bertha Holt Elementary School
*Buena Vista Elementary School (Spanish immersion)
*Buena Vista Spanish Immersion Elementary School
*Camas Ridge Community Elementary School
*Camas Ridge Community Elementary School
*César E. Chávez Elementary School
*César E. Chávez Elementary School
*Charlemagne at Fox Hollow Elementary School (French immersion)
*Charlemagne French Immersion Elementary School
*Coburg Elementary School
*Chinese Immersion Elementary School (opened fall 2017)
*Corridor Elementary School
*Crest Drive Elementary School
*Edgewood Community Elementary School
*Edgewood Community Elementary School
*Edison Elementary School
*Edison Elementary School
*Family School (K-8 alternative school)
*Family School
*Gilham Elementary School
*Gilham Elementary School
*Howard Elementary School
*Howard Elementary School
*McCornack Elementary School
*McCornack Elementary School
*Meadowlark Elementary School
*River Road/El Camino del Río Elementary School
**Neighborhood elementary school offering Spanish/English dual immersion program
*Parker Elementary School
*Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School (K-8 charter school)
*River Road/El Camino del Rio Elementary School (Spanish/English dual immersion)
*Spring Creek Elementary School
*Spring Creek Elementary School
*Twin Oaks Elementary School
*Twin Oaks Elementary School
*Willagillespie Elementary School
*Willagillespie Elementary School
*Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School
*The Village School (K-8 charter school)
**Roughly translated from Japanese, the name means "happy garden of learning"
*Yujin Gakuen Elementary School (Japanese immersion)

Note: Coburg, Crest Drive, Meadowlark and Parker Elementary Schools were closed in 2011, and a number of other schools previously closed over decades of declining enrollment after the Baby Boom.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/25846279-41/board-schools-million-elementary-russell.csp|title=Schools' fates decided: Eugene School Board votes to close four elementaries as part of broad cuts|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]|date=2011-02-03|access-date=2011-09-22}}</ref>

===Middle schools===
The Eugene School District's middle-level school model is middle schools serving grades 6, 7 and 8.


==Middle schools==
*Arts & Technology Academy
*Arts & Technology Academy
**Was Located in the former Jefferson Middle School building until fall 2017
**K–8 program
**Neighborhood middle school, grades 6–8 (previously a K–8 school)
**Co-located with Family School
**Oregon Model STEM Lab School, with STEM/STEAM studies (science, technology, engineering, (art) & math) infused throughout curriculum
*Cal Young Middle School
*Cal Young Middle School
**Named for [[Cal Young]], prominent pioneer of Eugene, Oregon, and first head football coach of the University of Oregon
**Founded in the 1950s
**Founded in 1953
**Approximately 586 students (2006-2007 school year census)
**New school constructed from 2003 to 2006
**New school building opened in 2006
**Old school demolished in June 2006
*Family School
**K–8 program
**Co-located with Arts & Technology Academy
*French Immersion Middle School
**A program of Roosevelt Middle School
*Kelly Middle School
*Kelly Middle School
**Named for WWII pilot [[Colin Kelly]]
**Hosts middle level of K–12 Spanish immersion program in North Eugene region
**Hosts middle level of K–12 Japanese immersion program in North Eugene region
*Kennedy Middle School
*Kennedy Middle School
**Named for President [[John F. Kennedy]]
*Leonardo da Vinci Middle School
**Future home of middle level of K–12 Chinese immersion program in Eugene's Churchill region
*Madison Middle School
*Madison Middle School
**Named for President [[James Madison]]
*Monroe Middle School
*Monroe Middle School
**Named for President [[James Monroe]]
*Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School
**Hosts middle level of K–12 Spanish immersion program in Eugene's Sheldon region
**K–8 charter school
**Co-located with The Village School
*Roosevelt Middle School
*Roosevelt Middle School
**Named for President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]
*Spanish Immersion Middle School
**Hosts middle level of K–12 French immersion program in South Eugene region
**A program of Monroe Middle School
**New school building opened in 2016
*Spencer Butte Middle School
*Spencer Butte Middle School
**Named for a geographical feature of the region
**Named after Spencer Butte

**Principal, Cidney Vandercar
===High schools===
**Distance Track Team has scored more points
The Eugene School District includes four comprehensive regional high schools and some alternative programs at the high school level.
than any other distance team since 2000

*The Village School
[[Winston Churchill High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Churchill High School]] (1966) serves the southwest portion of Eugene, as well as rural areas south and west of the city. [[North Eugene High School|North Eugene]] (1957) serves the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods northwest of the city center. [[Sheldon High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Sheldon]] (1963) students come from the Coburg Road area north of downtown Eugene, as well as the city of Coburg and the rural area in between. [[South Eugene High School|South Eugene]] (1901), formerly Eugene High, is the district's oldest high school. It serves the area of Eugene south and east of the downtown area and the University of Oregon.
**K–8 charter school
**Co-located with Ridgeline Montessori
*Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Middle School
**A program of Kelly Middle School


==High schools==
*[[Churchill Alternative High School]]
*[[Winston Churchill High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Churchill High School]]
*[[Winston Churchill High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Churchill High School]]
**Listed as one of America's Best High Schools (Silver Medal) by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/oregon/districts/eugene-sd-4j/churchill-high-school-16480|title=America's Best High Schools, 2016|publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=April 19, 2016|access-date=April 21, 2016}}</ref> and ''[[Newsweek]]''<ref name="The Register-Guard">{{cite news|url=http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/24939202-41/schools-list-newsweek-data-eugene.csp|title=Tardy South Eugene absent from 'best schools' list: The school was late submitting data for Newsweek's annual list, which includes Sheldon and Churchill|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]|date=June 23, 2010|access-date=April 21, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Eugene International High School]]
*[[Life Skills Network]]
*[[North Eugene High School]]
**Nationally recognized as one of America's Best High Schools (Bronze Medal) by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/oregon/districts/eugene-sd-4j/north-eugene-high-school-16477|title=America's Best High Schools, 2016|publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=April 19, 2016|access-date=April 21, 2016}}</ref>
*[[North Eugene Alternative High School]]
*[[North Eugene High School]]
*[[Opportunity Center]]
*[[Sheldon High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Sheldon High School]]
*[[Sheldon High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Sheldon High School]]
**Nationally recognized in ''[[Newsweek]]'''s annual list of the nation's best public high schools of the year in 2010<ref>{{cite news|url=http://legacy.kgw.com/story/news/2014/07/20/11736296/|title=Newsweek ranks Corbett High 5th best in U.S.|publisher=[[KGW]]|date=June 15, 2010|access-date=April 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305230256/http://legacy.kgw.com/story/news/2014/07/20/11736296/|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="The Register-Guard"/>
*[[South Eugene High School]]
*[[South Eugene High School]]
**Listed as one of America's Best High Schools (Silver Medal) by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/oregon/districts/eugene-sd-4j/south-eugene-high-school-16479|title=America's Best High Schools 2016|publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=April 19, 2016|access-date=April 21, 2016}}</ref> and ''[[Newsweek]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-schools-2014|title=America's Top High Schools 2014|publisher=[[Newsweek]]|date=2014|access-date=April 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2013/05/06/america-s-best-high-schools.html|title=2013 America's Best High Schools|publisher=[[Newsweek]]|date=2013|access-date=April 21, 2016|archive-date=August 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817020128/http://www.newsweek.com/2013/05/06/america-s-best-high-schools.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2012/05/20/america-s-best-high-schools.html|title=America's Best High Schools 2012|publisher=[[Newsweek]]|date=2012|access-date=April 21, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Eugene International High School]]
*[[Transition Education Network]], formerly Life Skills Network
*[[Eugene Education Options]]

===Charter schools===
The district also sponsors five public charter schools, which receive public funds but operate independently of the school district: Coburg Community Charter School, Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School, [[The Village School (Eugene, Oregon)|The Village School]], [[Network Charter School]], and [[Twin Rivers Charter School]].

Ridgeline Montessori, a K–8 program founded in 2000 as one of Oregon's first charter schools, is a publicly funded school based on [[Montessori method|Montessori]] educational philosophy and methods.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School (official website)|url=http://www.ridgeline.org/}}</ref> The Village School, also founded in 2000, describes itself as a holistic, arts-integrated program inspired by [[Waldorf education]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Village School (official website)|url=http://www.eugenevillageschool.org/}}</ref> The school board approved a charter for Coburg Community Charter School after Coburg Elementary School, the public school which had existed in the small town of Coburg since the mid-1800s, was closed in 2011 due to low enrollment and a statewide school budget crisis.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/26537989-41/coburg-charter-elementary-students-community.html.csp|title=Coburg charter school gearing up: 110 students are enrolled, and the school's board has approved the hiring of six teachers|publisher=[[The Register-Guard]]|date=2011-07-12|access-date=2011-09-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201043441/http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/26537989-41/coburg-charter-elementary-students-community.html.csp|archive-date=2013-02-01}}</ref> The curriculum of the Network Charter School, in downtown Eugene, is drawn from an alliance of local businesses and non-profits.<ref>{{cite web|title=Network Charter School (official website)|url=http://www.networkcharterschool.org/|access-date=January 29, 2010|archive-date=March 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305061350/http://www.networkcharterschool.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Twin Rivers Charter School is the fifth and newest program chartered in the Eugene School District, in operation since 2014. It serves students ages 14–19 in an experiential school environment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Twin Rivers Charter School (official website)|url=http://twinriverscharter.org}}</ref>

==Administration==
Colt Gill has served as interim superintendent of Eugene School District 4J since April 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Superintendent's Office |url=https://4j.lane.edu/18173_3}}</ref>

The Board of Directors<ref>{{cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=http://www.4j.lane.edu/board|publisher=Eugene School District}}</ref> has seven members elected from the district at large to serve four-year terms; board members serve without pay. The [[school board]] serves as the policy-making body of the school district. The Eugene School Board selects the superintendent as the district's executive officer and delegates the responsibility for implementing its policies and plans to the superintendent. The board also has the annual responsibility of adopting a balanced school district budget, developed in a budget process along with seven appointed citizen members of the district's budget committee.<ref>{{cite web|title=Budget Committee|url=http://www.4j.lane.edu/board/budgetcommittee|publisher=Eugene School District}}</ref>

The [[school board]] meets in regular public sessions at the 4J Education Center, 200 North Monroe, Eugene. Special meetings and work sessions are scheduled as necessary. All regular board meetings are broadcast live on the district's radio station, [[KRVM (AM)|KRVM-AM 1280]], and audio recordings are posted to the district's website.<ref>{{cite web|title=Board Meetings|url=http://www.4j.lane.edu/board/meetings|publisher=Eugene School District}}</ref> The school board encourages public input. Comments on items that are not on the board's agenda may be made at the beginning of each meeting. Audience members who wish to speak may sign up at the beginning of the meeting. Comments also may be sent to the board via email.

'''Board members for 2024-25 school year:'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Board of Directors |url=https://www.4j.lane.edu/20509_3}}</ref>
*Maya Rabasa
*Jenny Jonak
*Tom Di Liberto
*Judy Newman
*Rick Hamilton
*Morgan Munro
*Erika Thessen


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Bethel School District (Oregon)|Bethel School District]]
*[[Bethel School District (Oregon)|Bethel School District]]
*[[Springfield School District (Oregon)|Springfield School District]]
*[[List of school districts in Oregon]]
*[[List of school districts in Oregon]]
*[[Marist Catholic High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Marist High School]]
*[[Marist Catholic High School (Eugene, Oregon)|Marist High School]]


==References==
==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==Further reading==
*[http://www.4j.lane.edu/ Eugene School District] (official website)


* Joseph Schafer, [https://archive.org/details/oregonhistorical02oreguoft "An Historical Survey of Public Education in Eugene, Oregon,"] ''Oregon Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 2, whole no. 5 (March 1901), pp.&nbsp;55–77.


==External links==
{{Oregon-school-stub}}
* {{Official website|http://www.4j.lane.edu}}


[[Category:School districts in Oregon]]
[[Category:School districts in Oregon]]
[[Category:Education in Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:Education in Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:1854 establishments in Oregon Territory]]
[[Category:School districts established in 1854]]
[[Category:Education in Lane County, Oregon]]<!--About parts of the district not in the City of Eugene-->
[[Category:Education in Linn County, Oregon]]

Latest revision as of 19:25, 5 July 2024

Eugene School District 4J
Address
200 North Monroe Street
Eugene
, Oregon
United States
District information
TypePublic
Motto4J Vision 20/20: Every student connected to community and empowered to succeed
GradesPreK–12[1]
Established1854
SuperintendentColt Gill (Interim)
NCES District ID4104740 [1]
Students and staff
Students15,110.44 (2023-24)[1]
Teachers1,111 (FTE)[1]
Staff2,152 (FTE)[1]
Student–teacher ratio13.60:1[1]
Other information
Websitewww.4j.lane.edu

Eugene School District (4J) is a public school district in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is one of two school districts that serve the city of Eugene.

Demographics

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Eugene School District 4J spans 155 square miles (400 km2) in the southern Willamette Valley, including the city of Coburg and a small part of Linn County to the north. About 85 percent of the City of Eugene lies inside 4J's boundaries.[2] It also includes a portion of Springfield, and most of the census-designated places of River Road and Santa Clara.[3] The Linn County portion only includes unincorporated areas.[4]

About 15,100 students attend school in the district's 20 elementary school programs, 8 middle schools, 4 comprehensive high schools and various alternative high school programs[2] — making it one of the most populous of Oregon's approximately 200 school districts. The five public charter schools located in the district serve about 850 additional students.

Approximately 25 percent of the student body and 10 percent of the teaching staff are members of racial/ethnic minority groups.[5]

Nearly 50 percent of students in the Eugene School District qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a key measure of poverty in school districts. In the 2009 school year, the district had 743 students classified as homeless by the Department of Education, or 4.2% of students in the district.[6]

History

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The district that would evolve into Eugene School District 4J started in 1854, five years before Oregon attained statehood. The district is numbered 4J because it was the fourth school district incorporated in Lane County and is a joint (J) district — its boundary includes a small part of Linn County to the north. The district's name changed in 1964, when it absorbed Coburg School (since closed and now one of the 5 charter schools), whose attendance boundary goes nearly to Harrisburg.[2]

School district structure

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Eugene School District 4J is a K–12 public school district with elementary schools serving grades K–5, middle schools serving grades 6–8, high schools serving grades 9–12, and special education transition programs up to age 21. Every residence in the district is within the attendance boundary of a neighborhood elementary, middle and high school. A majority of students attend their neighborhood schools, but the district's school choice policy allows students to enroll in a different neighborhood school or an alternative school through the school choice process, and a large percentage do so. The district also accepts enrollment from students who reside outside the district boundaries.

School choice policy

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Choice is a key element of the Eugene School District, which is home to several alternative education programs (sometimes known as magnet schools, in Eugene such programs are called "alternative schools") including five language immersion programs in four languages—Spanish, Japanese, French and Chinese. The district's sometimes-controversial[7] open school choice[8] policy[9] means that families who live in the district may enroll their children in any 4J school, provided there is space available. Most parents choose to have their children attend the neighborhood school near their home, but others elect to enroll their children in a different neighborhood school or in an alternative school. For students requesting enrollment in a school other than their own neighborhood school, open slots are granted in an order determined by the district's annual school choice lottery.[10]

School programs

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Alternative schools and language immersion

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Among the district's 20 elementary schools, five schools immerse the students in a foreign language for half or all of the day: River Road/El Camino del Rio Spanish/English dual immersion,[11] Buena Vista Spanish immersion,[12] Yujin Gakuen Japanese immersion, Charlemagne French immersion and, starting in fall 2017, a Mandarin Chinese language immersion program.[13][14] Language immersion offerings continue K–12, allowing students to continue their intensive Spanish, French or Japanese programs through middle school and high school. The Chinese immersion program launching in 2017 is planned to grow to continue through middle and high school. The district also has two non-language-immersion alternative (magnet) elementary schools that have no neighborhood catchment area and enroll students solely by request and lottery placement: Corridor Elementary School and Family School. Eugene International High School offers programs within three of the district's four regional high schools — Churchill, Sheldon and South Eugene.

Elementary schools

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The Eugene School District's elementary schools serve grades K–5. Full-day kindergarten is provided in all of the district's elementary schools.

  • Adams Elementary School
  • Awbrey Park Elementary School
  • Bertha Holt Elementary School
  • Buena Vista Spanish Immersion Elementary School
  • Camas Ridge Community Elementary School
  • César E. Chávez Elementary School
  • Charlemagne French Immersion Elementary School
  • Chinese Immersion Elementary School (opened fall 2017)
  • Edgewood Community Elementary School
  • Edison Elementary School
  • Family School
  • Gilham Elementary School
  • Howard Elementary School
  • McCornack Elementary School
  • River Road/El Camino del Río Elementary School
    • Neighborhood elementary school offering Spanish/English dual immersion program
  • Spring Creek Elementary School
  • Twin Oaks Elementary School
  • Willagillespie Elementary School
  • Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School
    • Roughly translated from Japanese, the name means "happy garden of learning"

Note: Coburg, Crest Drive, Meadowlark and Parker Elementary Schools were closed in 2011, and a number of other schools previously closed over decades of declining enrollment after the Baby Boom.[15]

Middle schools

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The Eugene School District's middle-level school model is middle schools serving grades 6, 7 and 8.

  • Arts & Technology Academy
    • Was Located in the former Jefferson Middle School building until fall 2017
    • Neighborhood middle school, grades 6–8 (previously a K–8 school)
    • Oregon Model STEM Lab School, with STEM/STEAM studies (science, technology, engineering, (art) & math) infused throughout curriculum
  • Cal Young Middle School
    • Named for Cal Young, prominent pioneer of Eugene, Oregon, and first head football coach of the University of Oregon
    • Founded in 1953
    • New school building opened in 2006
  • Kelly Middle School
    • Named for WWII pilot Colin Kelly
    • Hosts middle level of K–12 Spanish immersion program in North Eugene region
    • Hosts middle level of K–12 Japanese immersion program in North Eugene region
  • Kennedy Middle School
    • Named for President John F. Kennedy
    • Future home of middle level of K–12 Chinese immersion program in Eugene's Churchill region
  • Madison Middle School
  • Monroe Middle School
    • Named for President James Monroe
    • Hosts middle level of K–12 Spanish immersion program in Eugene's Sheldon region
  • Roosevelt Middle School
    • Named for President Theodore Roosevelt
    • Hosts middle level of K–12 French immersion program in South Eugene region
    • New school building opened in 2016
  • Spencer Butte Middle School
    • Named for a geographical feature of the region

High schools

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The Eugene School District includes four comprehensive regional high schools and some alternative programs at the high school level.

Churchill High School (1966) serves the southwest portion of Eugene, as well as rural areas south and west of the city. North Eugene (1957) serves the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods northwest of the city center. Sheldon (1963) students come from the Coburg Road area north of downtown Eugene, as well as the city of Coburg and the rural area in between. South Eugene (1901), formerly Eugene High, is the district's oldest high school. It serves the area of Eugene south and east of the downtown area and the University of Oregon.

Charter schools

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The district also sponsors five public charter schools, which receive public funds but operate independently of the school district: Coburg Community Charter School, Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School, The Village School, Network Charter School, and Twin Rivers Charter School.

Ridgeline Montessori, a K–8 program founded in 2000 as one of Oregon's first charter schools, is a publicly funded school based on Montessori educational philosophy and methods.[24] The Village School, also founded in 2000, describes itself as a holistic, arts-integrated program inspired by Waldorf education.[25] The school board approved a charter for Coburg Community Charter School after Coburg Elementary School, the public school which had existed in the small town of Coburg since the mid-1800s, was closed in 2011 due to low enrollment and a statewide school budget crisis.[26] The curriculum of the Network Charter School, in downtown Eugene, is drawn from an alliance of local businesses and non-profits.[27] Twin Rivers Charter School is the fifth and newest program chartered in the Eugene School District, in operation since 2014. It serves students ages 14–19 in an experiential school environment.[28]

Administration

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Colt Gill has served as interim superintendent of Eugene School District 4J since April 2024.[29]

The Board of Directors[30] has seven members elected from the district at large to serve four-year terms; board members serve without pay. The school board serves as the policy-making body of the school district. The Eugene School Board selects the superintendent as the district's executive officer and delegates the responsibility for implementing its policies and plans to the superintendent. The board also has the annual responsibility of adopting a balanced school district budget, developed in a budget process along with seven appointed citizen members of the district's budget committee.[31]

The school board meets in regular public sessions at the 4J Education Center, 200 North Monroe, Eugene. Special meetings and work sessions are scheduled as necessary. All regular board meetings are broadcast live on the district's radio station, KRVM-AM 1280, and audio recordings are posted to the district's website.[32] The school board encourages public input. Comments on items that are not on the board's agenda may be made at the beginning of each meeting. Audience members who wish to speak may sign up at the beginning of the meeting. Comments also may be sent to the board via email.

Board members for 2024-25 school year:[33]

  • Maya Rabasa
  • Jenny Jonak
  • Tom Di Liberto
  • Judy Newman
  • Rick Hamilton
  • Morgan Munro
  • Erika Thessen

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Eugene SD 4J". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "ODE District Estimates" (PDF). Eugene School District.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lane County, OR" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 1-2 (PDF p. 2-3/3). Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Linn County, OR" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 10, 2024. - Text list
  5. ^ "Schools Reach Diversity Goal: The Eugene School District hopes to continue to increase the proportion of minority teachers". The Register-Guard. p. 2. Retrieved January 7, 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Count of homeless students in Oregon school districts, 2008-2009" (PDF). The Oregonian. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
  7. ^ "Choice and Lawyers: Does 4J's school-picking game leave too many losers?". Eugene Weekly. January 27, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  8. ^ "School Choice". Eugene School District.
  9. ^ "School Policy" (PDF). Oregon School Boards Association Policies Online.
  10. ^ "A Parent's Guide to Education in Eugene". DiscoverEugene (www.DiscoverEugene.com). Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  11. ^ "Dual Effort: Students in a unique immersion program in Eugene are learning two languages at once". The Register-Guard. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  12. ^ "Immersed in Controversy: A decision to add kindergarten at Buena Vista Elementary stirs some unease at neighbor school". The Register-Guard. January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Eugene School District's next immersion program: Mandarin Chinese". The Register-Guard. December 26, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Elementary School Language Immersion Programs:4J School District, Eugene, Oregon". DiscoverEugene (www.DiscoverEugene.com). Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  15. ^ "Schools' fates decided: Eugene School Board votes to close four elementaries as part of broad cuts". The Register-Guard. February 3, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  16. ^ "America's Best High Schools, 2016". U.S. News & World Report. April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Tardy South Eugene absent from 'best schools' list: The school was late submitting data for Newsweek's annual list, which includes Sheldon and Churchill". The Register-Guard. June 23, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  18. ^ "America's Best High Schools, 2016". U.S. News & World Report. April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  19. ^ "Newsweek ranks Corbett High 5th best in U.S." KGW. June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  20. ^ "America's Best High Schools 2016". U.S. News & World Report. April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  21. ^ "America's Top High Schools 2014". Newsweek. 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  22. ^ "2013 America's Best High Schools". Newsweek. 2013. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  23. ^ "America's Best High Schools 2012". Newsweek. 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  24. ^ "Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School (official website)".
  25. ^ "The Village School (official website)".
  26. ^ "Coburg charter school gearing up: 110 students are enrolled, and the school's board has approved the hiring of six teachers". The Register-Guard. July 12, 2011. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  27. ^ "Network Charter School (official website)". Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  28. ^ "Twin Rivers Charter School (official website)".
  29. ^ "Superintendent's Office".
  30. ^ "Board of Directors". Eugene School District.
  31. ^ "Budget Committee". Eugene School District.
  32. ^ "Board Meetings". Eugene School District.
  33. ^ "Board of Directors".

Further reading

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