Bellevue School District
As of October 2020, there were 19,545 students enrolled in the district. 100 languages are spoken in the district, with 40.2% of students speaking a first language other than English. 15.7% of students receive ELL (English Language Learner) Services. 17.2% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The racial demographics of the district are: 3.1% Black/African American, 43.2% Asian, 12.7% Hispanic, 9.3% Multi-Ethnic, 0.1% Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 31.3% White. By February 2015 the district experienced an influx of highly educated immigrant families from East Asia and South Asia who selected the district due to its reputation for strong academics and testimonials from foreign sources. The district's number of Indian language-speaking students was 185 in 2004. As of 2015 the district had about 1,600 students who spoke Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and/or Taiwanese Min-Nan; and the district also had over 800 speakers of Indian languages. The speakers of Chinese had increased by 91% in a ten-year span beginning around 2004, and speakers of Indian languages had increased around 400% during the same period. Students attend elementary (primary) school from kindergarten to fifth grade, middle school from sixth to eighth grade, and high school from ninth to twelfth grade. Each of the school, except Choice schools, have a defined geographic attendance area. Students are assigned to a school based on the attendance area in which they reside. With three exceptions, these schools are located in the city of Bellevue. Clyde Hill Elementary and Chinook Middle School are located in the city of Clyde Hill. Over the years, the district closed several schools. In many cases, declining enrollment after the baby boomers graduated led to closure. The district leased some schools to private schools or non-profit organizations. Some properties were transferred to other local governments. On June 10, 2008, Bellevue teachers voted almost unanimously to go on strike if a new contract could not be reached by the end of the summer. On the evening of September 1, the day before classes would have started, the Bellevue Education Association (BEA) announced the beginning of the strike. On September 14, BEA members agreed to the tentative agreement that school was to begin on September 15. The dispute between the BEA and BSD had three main issues: compensation; benefits; and use of the Curriculum Web, a strictly enforced curriculum for all teachers to follow. President Barack Obama visited Medina Elementary School on February 17, 2012. He spent 10 minutes at the school, greeting about 450 students with hand shakes and high fives.
Demographics
As of October 1, 2016, the district has an enrollment of 19,974 students.