West Linn-Wilsonville Students Head Back to Class Today

Today, September 1, marks the first day of the 2026-27 school year for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. It's a later start than some neighboring districts — Beaverton students have already been back in class for about a week — but right in line with where the district has landed in recent years.

Expect the usual first-week patterns: buses running new routes, school zones back in effect around West Linn campuses, and slightly heavier morning traffic near schools as everyone gets used to drop-off again. West Linn High School, one of three high schools in the district, has a track record worth noting — it was recognized in the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Program, one of the highest honors a school can receive nationally.

If mornings feel a little chaotic the first few days, that's completely normal — most schools use the opening week to smooth out bus routes and drop-off lines before things settle into a steady routine.

Whether or not you have a student in the district, it's worth slowing down through school zones this week — first-week mornings are exactly when routines, and reaction times, haven't caught up with the new schedule yet.