Rochester School District Calendar 2026-2027

Rochester School District serves the communities along U.S. Highway 12 in southwest Thurston County, including Rochester and Grand Mound. The ordinary route is organized through districtwide age centers: Rochester Primary serves kindergarten through grade two, Grand Mound Elementary receives grades three through five, Rochester Middle carries grades six through eight, and Rochester High School begins in ninth grade. HEART High School provides a smaller secondary setting for students whose schedules or graduation plans need more flexibility.

Spanish and English are becoming a continuous part of that route. Rochester Primary opened a 50:50 two-way dual-language kindergarten in 2023–24 and has added one grade each year. In spring 2026, the oldest cohort completed second grade and prepared to continue at Grand Mound Elementary. A family night drew more than two hundred relatives, students and staff, showing that the program is building a community across two schools as well as teaching two languages.

Applied learning becomes highly visible at Rochester High. Recent drone, robotics and welding teams advanced to national SkillsUSA competition, while bilingual graduates have earned the Washington Seal of Biliteracy. School bands, youth groups and students also appear in Rochester’s annual Swede Day celebration. The same district that moves whole cohorts between age centers gives students public stages for language, technology, skilled work and local tradition.