About Us

To provide all students with an exemplary college preparatory education so they can succeed in college, career and life.

• All students will reach or exceed academic proficiency
• Eliminate the achievement gap
• All students, including those who already meet or exceed academic proficiency, will show measurable progress

Our Guiding Principles were developed by the Bellevue School Board and reflect our values. View PDF

The Bellevue School District serves about 18,000 students in 27 schools.  Our students live in Bellevue and the smaller surrounding communities of Clyde Hill, Medina, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point and Beaux Arts, plus portions of Issaquah, Kirkland, Newcastle, Redmond and unincorporated King County. 

2012-2013 enrollment:  18,351 (2012-2013 District enrollment and demographics by school)

 

The Bellevue School District includes 16 elementary schools, 5 regular middle schools, 4 regular high schools and 2 alternative middle/high schools.  We have a staff of about 2,000 employees, including about 1,100 teachers.  More than 265 Bellevue teachers are National Board-certified, more than any other district in the state.

The elementary average class size is an average of all classes K-5 at all elementary schools.  The class size at any particular school or grade may be larger or smaller than this district-wide average based on the actual numbers of neighborhood students at that grade level. 

At middle and high school the average class size includes all classes and programs offered at each school at that level as compared to the number of classes being taken by students at that level.  Individual classes at any particular school may be larger or smaller than the district-wide average based on the actual numbers of students in that school.

Elementary (K-5): 22
Middle (6-8): 28
High (9-12): 28

We are a very diverse district.  As of 2010, minorities make up 50.7% of total district enrollment.  For the first time in Bellevue history, white students are in the minority at 49.3% of the total district enrollment.   More than 80 languages are spoken in the Bellevue School District, with 30% of students speaking a first language other than English. About one in five students receive free or reduced-price meals.   

The Bellevue School District's definition of equity was developed collaboratively by a diverse committee of parents, staff and community:

An equitable and excellent school district is one in which all students achieve high levels of academic success, regardless of any student’s race, ethnicity, culture, country of origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, neighborhood, income of parents, or mother tongue. In an equitable and excellent school district, there are no persistent patterns of differences in the academic achievement or treatment of students grouped by race, ethnicity, culture, country of origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, neighborhood, income of parents, or mother tongue. Equity and excellence occur when each and every student is served effectively to achieve at high levels.

The Bellevue School District is led by Superintendent Dr. Tim Mills. Five community members make up the Bellevue School District’s Board of Directors, one from each of the five geographical districts.  The board members are elected to their posts by registered voters for terms of four years. 

The School Board has fundamental governance responsibilities that fall into four major areas:  vision, accountability, structure, and advocacy.  Although it provides overall governance of the district, the Board employs and empowers a professional staff of administrators led by a strong superintendent of schools to carry out the District’s daily functions and to pursue its short and long range goals.