In Jackson County, Central Point School District serves just under 5,000 students, representing a community rich in language, culture, and lived experience. Across the district, students speak 20 languages, and classrooms reflect a wide range of identities and learning journeys. According to the Oregon Department of Education’s 2024–25 At-A-Glance report, nearly two in five students experience poverty, and many navigate mobility, multilingualism, and diverse learning needs as they move through school.

It is within this context that Central Point made a deliberate, long-term commitment to multilingual education. In 2013, the district launched its Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program grounded in a simple belief: language is not a barrier to overcome, but an asset to be nurtured. More than a decade later, that commitment has grown into a full K–12 pathway—one designed to support students academically, culturally, and socially from their earliest school years through graduation. Central Point remains the only district in the region offering a dual-language pathway that spans kindergarten through high school, with its first graduating cohort set for spring 2026.

From the beginning, the program brought Spanish-speaking and English-speaking students together in shared classrooms, creating reciprocal learning environments rooted in belonging and connection. As the program matured, district leaders made an intentional choice to expand it beyond the early grades, ensuring students could continue developing biliteracy and academic confidence without interruption at key transition points. That continuity has proven essential, allowing students to grow their identities and skills alongside their peers year after year.

“Our students not only earn the Oregon Seal of Biliteracy but also engage in bilingual internships, peer mentorship, and cultural leadership experiences that strengthen our entire school community,” said Tess Siemer, Central Point’s Title III and Two-Way Immersion Coordinator, who has played a central role in the program’s development and expansion since its launch. From the outset, the district invested in educating families, educators, and leaders about why dual language learning matters—framing multilingualism as a shared asset and collective responsibility. That early clarity helped build trust and sustained support, ensuring the pathway could grow with purpose and stability.

For students, the impact of the program is both immediate and long-term. One graduating senior will be the first in his family to pursue higher education, entering college with multiple credits already earned through embedded Spanish coursework, along with the confidence that comes from being bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate. For another student, bilingualism has become a point of distinction—supporting leadership aspirations and opening doors in highly competitive, service-oriented pathways. For others, the program provides something just as critical: a consistent, affirming space that supports belonging and reengagement during moments of transition.

As Central Point prepares to celebrate its first graduating class, Siemer and other district leaders remain focused on what comes next—deepening impact, strengthening pathways beyond high school, and continuing to center student experience in every decision so that the system continues to honor language, belonging, and opportunity, one student at a time.