Hillsboro School District's Spanish-English Dual Language program now serves more than 3,700 students from preschool through high school, a figure the district highlighted Sept. 11 ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month programming.
Heritage Month runs from Tuesday, Sept. 15, through Thursday, Oct. 15. Two community events anchor the calendar:
- Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Centro Cultural's Binational Health Fair at Century High School
- Wednesday, Oct. 7, 5:30 to 7 p.m.: HSD Hispanic Heritage Celebration at Quatama Elementary School
Details for both events are pending.
The dual-language and Spanish literacy programs immerse students in bilingual instruction across multiple elementary, middle and high schools, according to the district's announcement. A separate Spanish Literacy program operates at 11 elementary schools where dual-language classrooms are not yet available.
The program's goal is to position students to earn the Oregon State Seal of Biliteracy, a credential recognizing proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing in two languages. During the 2025-26 school year, 244 HSD seniors earned the seal, according to district records.
Arcema Tovar, director of Multilingual Programs, oversees the dual-language effort. In October 2025, Tovar presented a strategic report to the school board covering the program's equity focus, external evaluations and a "grow your own" teacher pipeline initiative, according to board meeting records.
The district also maintains a Latina/o/x Parent Advisory Council, known as the Comité Consultivo de Padres Latinos, at the district level. Smaller advisory groups called "paquitos" operate at individual schools to help Spanish-speaking families receive information and provide feedback. The council met Sept. 10 via Google Meet, the day before the district's Heritage Month announcement.
Families can reach the Parent Advisory Council at (503) 844-1475. Schools will share Heritage Month information with students over the coming weeks, the district said.
