What parents should know about Hillsboro School District

When you're choosing a place to call home, there are a lot of questions to consider. How close is the grocery store? How long will your commute be? Does it feel safe at night? And, for families with school-aged children, one of the biggest questions of all: What are the schools like?

For families in Reed’s Crossing, the answer starts with Hillsboro School District. But education here isn't limited to what happens inside the classroom. With a neighborhood elementary school, parks, playgrounds, and a dedicated Nature Education Area just steps away, kids have plenty of opportunities to explore, ask questions, and learn something new every day.

Getting to know Hillsboro School District

Hillsboro School District serves families throughout Hillsboro and the surrounding area, with elementary, middle, and high schools offering a range of academic programs and learning opportunities. It is Oregon’s fourth-largest public school district, with 37 schools serving close to 19,000 students from preschool through twelfth grade. 

One of the district's strengths is its emphasis on preparing students for a changing world. HSD offers programs ranging from dual-language education to college-level and career-focused opportunities, giving students different ways to explore their interests and build skills for the future.

For families interested in bilingual education, the district has a particularly strong offering. Its dual language program serves more than 3,700 students from preschool through high school, with students learning in both English and Spanish. The program follows a 50/50 model in which students receive instruction in both languages and work toward bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic achievement.

The district also reports a 90% on-time graduation rate for the Class of 2025, more than seven percentage points above the state average.

Of course, choosing a school is personal. Families should review current school boundaries, programs, and enrollment information when making decisions about where to live. But for Reed’s Crossing families, there's another part of the school experience worth knowing about: Tamarack Elementary.

Meet Tamarack Elementary

Located in Reed’s Crossing, Tamarack Elementary School opened in 2023 as the first school within the community. Through project-based learning and community partnerships, like the OMSI Lab, the curriculum is designed to increase student engagement while exploring relevant real-world topics. 

This is a K–6 elementary school, and its current feeder pattern continues on to South Meadows Middle School and Hillsboro High School. Its approximately 74,000-square-foot campus includes a STEAM lab, a think tank for collaborative learning, a rooftop solar array, and a media center. The school sits on approximately eight acres and has capacity for up to 600 students.

But perhaps one of the most meaningful things about Tamarack Elementary is its location. When school is right down the street, it plays a natural role in the rhythm of everyday life. Getting ready, heading home, meeting classmates at the park, and seeing familiar faces around the community are all part of growing up here. And the learning doesn't stop when the school bell rings.

Learn outside the floor plan

Just across from Tamarack Elementary, you'll find two spots that make it easy for kids to turn an ordinary afternoon into an opportunity for exploration.

Tamarack Park offers plenty of room for kids to run free, with multiple play structures, a skateboarding pod, and onsite restrooms, while adults enjoy features like bench swings, a bocce court, and firepits. 

Then there's the Nature Education Area. Located across from the park, this outdoor learning space was designed to help everyone understand more about the ecosystems and environment around them. Educational stations introduce concepts like pollination and stormwater management, giving children a chance to see the science they encounter in school coming to life. 

It's the kind of place where learning happens without feeling like homework. A walk through the neighborhood might turn into a conversation about where bees get their food. A rainy day might prompt a question about where all the water goes. A visit to the orchard could become an impromptu science lesson. At Reed’s Crossing, curiosity has a lot of places to go.

A place to learn something new every day

For parents, choosing a home is about more than finding the right number of bedrooms or the perfect kitchen. It's also about imagining what everyday life will look like for your family.

The areas explored in this blog are just one section of a larger network of open spaces throughout Reed’s Crossing. The community's 10 parks and dog parks are connected by a system of multimodal paths, so families can walk, bike, and explore together. Our signature outdoor space, the Greenway, runs through the heart of the neighborhood, connecting parks and shared spaces along the way. 

That means your child's learning isn’t confined to the classroom—or even the backyard. They can learn to ride a bike on the neighborhood paths. They can discover how plants grow at the community garden. They can learn more about their food at the monthly farmers market kids club. They can build confidence on the playground, make friends at a community event, or just spend an afternoon outside asking the kinds of questions that don't always have easy answers. These experiences might not show up on a report card, but they're an important part of growing up.

Got more questions about life in Hillsboro? Get tips on finding your ideal family home, sneak a peek at what’s in store for the future, or visit our Model Home Village & Discovery Park.