The Beaverton School District's largest construction project is done, and it's expected to come in under budget.

The new Beaverton High School, a 290,000-square-foot building that replaces a structure built in 1916, will welcome freshmen on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and sophomores through seniors on Wednesday, Aug. 26. The $253 million project is the biggest single investment in the district's voter-approved $723 million bond, and its on-time delivery marks the first completed flagship project of a construction program that is also reshaping schools closer to home.

For Bethany-area families, the bond work is already underway at their schools. Sunset High School is getting the first phase of a multi-summer HVAC upgrade, a full roof replacement and stage lighting and sound improvements this summer, according to the district's bond project page. Cedar Park Middle School began seismic upgrades in spring 2026 and is having half its roof replaced, with both projects continuing into summer 2027. Meadow Park Middle School is receiving its second phase of seismic upgrades, a full roof replacement and a theater overhaul. At Westview High School, the baseball and softball fields are being converted to artificial turf.

As we reported Aug. 10, the Cedar Park and Meadow Park seismic work is part of a broader effort to bring older buildings up to earthquake safety standards.

The BHS project's financial health offers reassurance. The district's Bond Accountability Committee rated the rebuild as "low budget risk" at its September 2025 meeting, citing sufficient contingency funds. At that point, about $370 million of the program's $797 million total budget had been spent, with 72 percent of all bond projects completed or in process, according to committee meeting records. Those figures are nearly a year old; updated totals have not been published.

The new BHS itself is striking. The three-story building stretches an entire block along Southwest Farmington Road. Its dark metal-paneled exterior, unique among BSD schools, saved the district money and is expected to be easier to maintain. Large orange-bordered windows, shaped to symbolize beads and jewels, reflect community input honoring multiple cultures.

"Oh my gosh, it's incredible," Principal Andrew Kearl told the Beaverton Valley Times. He said his staff of 80 to 90 teachers are thrilled with their new spaces. Some will have natural light and working air conditioning in their classrooms for the first time.

Inside, a career technical education classroom dedicated to the electrical trades features bays that mimic residential electrical panels so students can learn to wire a home. Facilities development administrator Aaron Boyle said construction took almost two years, with one more year of site work and parking lot construction ahead. The old building, whose main entrance sits less than 20 feet from the new one, will be demolished to make room.

The building also includes a 400-plus-capacity auditorium with 55-foot ceilings and floor-level ventilation for quieter performances, a gymnasium with bleachers large enough for the entire student body and four tactile murals created by more than 100 ceramics students last school year.

BSD's first day of school is one week out. Sunset, Westview, Cedar Park and Meadow Park families can expect construction crews on campus through the fall as summer bond projects wrap up.