With the addition of the new Ridgeline Middle School and the related boundary changes (link opens in a new window) at the middle school level, our team reconfigured bus routes for the 2025 - 2026 school year.

As a result of this reconfiguration, we determined the best scenario for our students was to shift school start and end times as follows:

Elementary

• Old: 7:55 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.
• New: 7:30 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.

Middle Schools

• Old: 8:35 a.m. - 3:55 p.m.
• New: 8:30 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.

High Schools

• Old: 8:40 a.m. - 3:50 p.m.
• New: 8:55 a.m. - 4:05 p.m.

Process

Staff from across the district developed and analyzed more than a dozen scenarios and their impact on students, families, and school operations. The final scenario was selected for the greatest benefit to students with the least impact on:

• Instructional calendar
• Budget, particularly in a challenging funding year
• Activities / athletics
• Childcare
• Length of routes
• Route start and end times

The change in bell times may also provide more availability for activity / athletic drivers, reducing the amount of time students are out of class for out-of-town trips.

For more information, email engage@weldre4.org.