Bethesda Elementary School’s mission is to learn, serve and achieve.

Bethesda Elementary is a Dual-Language Immersion school. These programs use two languages for literacy and content instruction for all students. The schools provide the same academic content and address the same state standards as traditional educational programs where instruction is in only one language. Elementary DLI programs provide instruction to cohort groups of students in the two languages over an extended period of time, from kindergarten through fifth grade. Instruction in the DLI program language (Spanish in the case of all DPS programs) ranges from 90% in kindergarten to 50% percent of the time by fifth grade. Students not in the dual-language cohort classrooms benefit from cultural immersion experiences and weekly Spanish instruction. The only entry point to the DLI cohort is kindergarten.

There is a considerable body of research that outlines the benefits of DLI programs for students, including higher academic performance, greater cognitive development and mental flexibility, increased creativity and divergent thinking, high levels of proficiency in the program language and in English, positive cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors and enhanced career opportunities.

Enrollment: 476