This fall, Bend Technical Academy and Realms High School are coming together as a choice option school under the new name Deschutes River High School. The school will be located on Bend Tech’s current campus on NE 5th Street. It will also keep both Bend Tech’s Career Technical Education (CTE) programs and Realm’s experiential learning model, in addition to the usual advanced placement and college level classes.
In 2018, Bend-La Pine Schools leased a warehouse to hold both Realms High and the now-closed Skyline High School. Going into the 2026–27 school year, the lease is no longer financially viable for the district. Realms Middle School will be moving to Buckingham Elementary’s campus, while Realms High school will be joining Bend Tech.
Instead of determining which students attend based on their proximity to the school, all students in Bend-La Pine Schools are eligible to attend Deschutes River High by entering a choice option lottery. The lottery currently has an ongoing waitlist. Students who are presently attending Bend Tech or Realms will be automatically offered a spot at the new school if they choose to attend.
The school’s new name, Deschutes River High School, was chosen back in February. Using suggestions from the community and staff at both schools, a committee was formed to present the top three names to the Bend-La Pine School Board. The name was chosen because of the Deschutes River’s proximity to the high school and its timelessness.
Deschutes River High will offer both Bend Tech’s CTE program, made up of four academies that provide students with hands-on training and certifications for careers in health science, STEM engineering, construction and business. The CTE program will be interwoven with Realm’s experiential learning model, which centers on providing project-based, hands-on learning to enable students to contribute to a better world.
The school will be under the leadership of Bend Tech’s current principal, Latisha Clark, and Realm’s vice principal Zach Harju.
“We get to explore new things and new ways of learning, teaching and thinking,” said Clark. “Bringing Bend Tech and Realms together into a single high school could bring the best of them both and ensure the Bend Tech campus is fully utilized.”