Keeton King Contracting employees work on finishing up the ceiling of the new entry area of Pilot Butte Middle School in Bend in preparation for the first day of school Wednesday.

Students in grades 1-9 begin school Wednesday in Bend-La Pine Schools, and students in grades 10-12 start school Thursday. Many students will be walking into upgraded schools this week, as many construction and update projects from the 2017 school bond have been completed.

At Pilot Butte, contractors are completing work on the first phase of construction. The 50-year-old school is receiving a full interior modernization, including a new secure entryway, science classrooms and more accessible renovated music classrooms, as well as upgrades to improve energy efficiency. The remainder of the school will be modernized in phases over the next several years.