Back-to-school season is here. Here’s what Lane County families need to know.

Miranda Cyr, Eugene Register-Guard
Updated ·4 min read
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Backpacks line the hallways May 31 at Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School in Eugene.
Backpacks line the hallways May 31 at Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School in Eugene.

Corrections & Clarifications: This article has been updated to correctly state which grades attend which first days for Springfield Public Schools.

With the days of summer vacation starting to wind down, back-to-school season is in full swing. Here's what you need to know before the start of the 2023-24 school year in Lane County.

When do classes start?

Across Lane County, school doesn't start until after Labor Day on Sept. 4, with exact start dates varying based on district and grade level.

Eugene School District 4J's first day of school for kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade is Wednesday, Sept. 6. For all other grades, classes begin Thursday, Sept. 7.

Springfield Public Schools' first day of school is Wednesday, Sept. 6, for sixth grade, ninth grade, grades 1-5 and half of kindergarten. The first day is Thursday, Sept. 7, for the other half of kindergarten and all other grade levels.

Bethel School District's first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 5, for grades K-8. Sept. 5 is also ninth grade orientation. For grades 9-12, the first day is Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Post-secondary institutions get back to class later in Eugene. For both the University of Oregon and Lane Community College, classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Other school district start dates:

  • Creswell School District: Sixth and ninth grades start Wednesday, Sept. 6. For all other grades, classes begin Thursday, Sept. 7.

  • Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District: Tuesday, Sept. 5.

  • Fern Ridge School District: First through sixth and ninth grades start Tuesday, Sept. 5; seventh and eighth grades start Wednesday, Sept. 6; all secondary grades attend Thursday, Sept. 7; and kindergarten starts Monday, Sept. 11.

  • Junction City School District: "Soft start" Tuesday, Sept. 5, for kindergarten, fifth and ninth grades. All other grades begin Wednesday, Sept. 6.

  • Lowell School District: Wednesday, Sept. 6.

  • Mapleton School District: Grades 1-12 start Tuesday, Sept. 5. Kindergarten's first day is Monday, Sept. 11.

  • Marcola School District: Tuesday, Sept. 5.

  • McKenzie School District: Tuesday, Sept. 5.

  • Oakridge School District: Wednesday, Sept. 6.

  • Pleasant Hill School District: Wednesday, Sept. 6.

  • Siuslaw School District: Grades 9-12 start Tuesday, Sept. 5; grades 1-8 start Wednesday, Sept. 6; and kindergarten starts Monday, Sept. 11.

  • South Lane School District: Wednesday, Sept. 6.

School registration

If you would like to enroll a new student into 4J, visit 4j.lane.edu/instruction/enrollment/student-enrollment/ and follow the instructions to submit papers online or drop them at your desired school. For more assistance, call 541-790-7712 or email enroll@4j.lane.edu.

Parents who would like to enroll a new student into Springfield can do so with a ParentVUE account, which is an app the district uses to keep parents up-to-date. To find out more about Springfield enrollment, visit springfield.k12.or.us/enroll. For more assistance, contact your local school’s office or Amy Stephens at 541-726-3254 or amy.stephens@springfield.k12.or.us.

Information on registering new and returning students for Bethel can be found at bethel.k12.or.us/bsdfamilies/register/. Registration can be completed by creating a PowerSchool online registration account using an email address or cell phone number. For more assistance, email SIS-services@bethel.k12.or.us.

Students eat free in 2023-24

Free breakfast and lunch will be available for all students, regardless of household income, in 4J, Springfield and Bethel school districts.

Summer meals are still being served at 4J through Friday, Aug. 18. Breakfast service will from from 9-9:30 a.m. and lunch service will be from noon-12:30 p.m. Any youth ages 0-18 are eligible for free breakfast and lunch at the following locations:

  • Arts & Technology Academy, 1650 W. 22nd Ave.

  • Holt Elementary School, 770 Calvin St.

  • River Road/El Camino del Rio, 120 W. Hilliard Lane.

Back-to-school supplies

Many local organizations and nonprofits conduct year-round campaigns to fundraise for school supplies, scholarships and other student needs and resources.

Project Hope is holding its 13th annual back-to-school giveaway Aug. 26-27, partnering with more than 50 churches, more than 30 businesses and the 4J, Bethel, Springfield and Junction City school districts. Through the giveaway, students can choose necessities like new shoes, socks and backpacks filled with school supplies. For more information, visit onehopenetwork.org/project-hope.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Emerald Valley is hosting its seventh annual Field of Dreams dinner and auction at PK Park Aug. 24. Funds raised will benefit the more than 450 kids who attend Boys & Girls Clubs after school in Eugene and Springfield. Tickets can be found at bgcev.org/field-of-dreams.

The following groups accept monetary and/or gift donations:

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Back-to-school 2023-24: What Lane County families need to know