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Jefferson High School

Q: Is Jefferson High School a good school?

Jefferson High School ranks in the bottom 14.8% of Oregon high schools.

Q: How many students attend Jefferson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 456 students attended Jefferson High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Jefferson High School?

Students at Jefferson High School are 46% African American, 21% Hispanic, 16% White, 13% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into Jefferson High School?

Jefferson High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Beach Elementary School Elementary : Boise-Eliot Elementary School Elementary : Chief Joseph Elementary School Elementary : Dr. Martin Luther King Junior School Elementary : Faubion Elementary School Elementary : Irvington Elementary School Elementary : Peninsula Elementary School Elementary : Sabin Elementary School Elementary : Vernon Elementary School Elementary : Woodlawn Elementary School Middle : Harriet Tubman Middle School Middle : Ockley Green Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

230^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 270 Oregon High Schools

Better than 15% of Oregon high schools

Summary

Jefferson High School is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, serving 525 students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Portland School District 1J, which is ranked 13 out of 140 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the district's overall high ranking, Jefferson High School has faced significant challenges. The school has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages in standardized test scores, with only 22.2% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 14.6% in Mathematics, and 16.5% in Science. Additionally, the school's four-year graduation rates have been relatively low, ranging from 81.3% to 86.5% over the past few years, compared to the district's average of around 81.8%. Jefferson High School has also experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 34.3% to 61.4% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

When compared to other high schools in the Portland School District 1J, such as Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, Cleveland High School, and Grant High School, Jefferson High School significantly underperforms in academic achievement, graduation rates, and student engagement. Despite spending significantly more per student ($30,406 in 2022-2023) compared to the other nearby high schools, which spend around $20,000 to $23,000 per student, the school has not been able to translate this additional funding into improved student outcomes.

456

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,406

Per pupil spending ?

98.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5210 N Kerby Ave
Portland, OR 97217-2699

(503) 916-5180

District: Portland School District 1J

Feeder schools for Jefferson High School:

Elementary:	Beach Elementary School
	Boise-Eliot Elementary School
	Chief Joseph Elementary School
	Dr. Martin Luther King Junior School
	More...
	Faubion Elementary School
	Irvington Elementary School
	Peninsula Elementary School
	Sabin Elementary School
	Vernon Elementary School
	Woodlawn Elementary School
Middle:	Harriet Tubman Middle School
	Ockley Green Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

46.3%

Hispanic:

21.5%

White:

16.4%

See top rated Oregon high schools

Compare Jefferson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2013 → 15th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Oregon average (18% vs 33% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Oregon average (77% vs 83%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school18%

District avg42%

Oregon avg33%

230^th of 270

Oregon public high schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Oregon High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 9High Schools in the Portland School District 1J

13^th of 140Portland School District 1J among Oregon districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	19.2	230 of 270	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	256 of 268	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	227 of 258	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	232 of 266	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	255 of 283	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.2	255 of 283	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	3.9	286 of 292	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.1	256 of 292	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.0	260 of 301	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	7.7	279 of 303	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	18.9	266 of 308	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	12.0	268 of 299	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	12.8	254 of 285	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	5.7	244 of 263	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2019	9.7	15 of 15	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.6	31 of 31	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	169 of 211	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	206 of 213	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	228 of 251	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	64 of 74	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	45 of 46	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	42 of 43	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	117 of 138	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	122 of 144	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	153 of 156	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2024	15.9	160 of 170	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	180 of 224	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	214 of 229	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	244 of 254	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	217 of 237	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	212 of 216	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	146 of 214	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	7.7	237 of 250	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2024	14.3	64 of 68	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	88 of 98	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2019	74.9	10 of 98	89.8%	★★★★★
2018	10.5	132 of 132	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	62.9	71 of 250	71.6%	★★★★☆
2024	26.0	190 of 244	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	63.0	78 of 245	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.4	111 of 266	58.3%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2019)90th percentile+77 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile+57 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)14th percentile~ school

Male (2025)8th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)6th percentile~ school

African American (2019)<1st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Oregon (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts22%-22 vs state

Science16%-16 vs state

Mathematics15%-6 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, November 7, 2019

It is a great school. Perfect harmony between students and teachers. Not very many fights. Good atmosphere. Close Quote

Schools Near Jefferson High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				OSAS English Language Arts (2025)	OSAS Mathematics (2025)	OSAS Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	OSAS English Language Arts 11th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 11th Grade	OSAS Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jefferson High School	Public	9-12	5210 N Kerby Ave	Portland	97217	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5180	456	35	13.1	98.7%	75 (16.4%)	211 (46.3%)	98 (21.5%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	59 (12.9%)	19.2	230^th of 270 public high schools	14.8%		9.5	256^th of 268 public high schools	4.5%	26	22.2	14.6	16.5	$30,406	$1,953	$28,453
Rivercrest Academy	Public	9-12	3002 NE Ainsworth St	Portland	97211	Multnomah County	Multnomah Education Service District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(503) 255-1841	12	2	5.7		11 (91.7%)	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Benson Polytechnic High School	Public	9-12	546 NE 12th Ave	Portland	97232	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5100	896	58	15.3	42.0%	395 (44.1%)	88 (9.8%)	232 (25.9%)	46 (5.1%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	109 (12.2%)	49.9	122^nd of 270 public high schools	54.8%		35.9	170^th of 268 public high schools	36.6%	48	42.5	25.0	29.9	$32,010	$2,141	$29,868
Alliance High School	Public	9-12	1530 NE Glisan St	Portland	97232	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5747	197	22	9.1		88 (44.7%)	15 (7.6%)	48 (24.4%)	7 (3.6%)	4 (2.0%)	1 (0.5%)	20 (10.2%)								(n/a)				$42,113	$3,491	$38,622
Grant High School	Public	9-12	2245 NE 36th Ave	Portland	97212	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5160	2,149	106	20.3	41.8%	1,426 (66.4%)	136 (6.3%)	177 (8.2%)	57 (2.7%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	297 (13.8%)	92.3	17^th of 270 public high schools	93.7%		93.5	12^th of 268 public high schools	95.5%	5	71.4	46.7	49.5	$19,579	$1,553	$18,026
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	1750 SW Salmon St.	Portland	97205	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5200	1,611	82	19.6	42.0%	970 (60.2%)	64 (4.0%)	180 (11.2%)	146 (9.1%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	225 (14.0%)	93.7	15^th of 270 public high schools	94.4%		90.6	19^th of 268 public high schools	92.9%	4	70.4	40.3	59.9	$20,889	$1,565	$19,324
Roosevelt High School	Public	9-12	6941 N Central St	Portland	97203	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5260	1,450	90	16.1	41.9%	480 (33.1%)	191 (13.2%)	536 (37.0%)	24 (1.7%)	7 (0.5%)	22 (1.5%)	150 (10.3%)	19.1	231^st of 270 public high schools	14.4%		19.6	227^th of 268 public high schools	15.3%	4	28.5	8.9	18.8	$23,201	$2,002	$21,199
Hassolo School	Public	6-12	1401 NE 68th Ave	Portland	97213	Multnomah County	Multnomah Education Service District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 257-1645	6	0			0 (0.0%)	3 (50.0%)	1 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (16.7%)								(n/a)
Cleveland High School	Public	9-12	3400 SE 26th Ave	Portland	97202	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5120	1,421	72	19.7	41.9%	962 (67.7%)	41 (2.9%)	123 (8.7%)	102 (7.2%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	153 (10.8%)	91.2	19^th of 270 public high schools	93.0%		88.5	22^nd of 268 public high schools	91.8%	3	67.2	41.5	53.2	$20,960	$1,647	$19,313
Leodis V. McDaniel High School	Public	9-12	2735 NE 82nd Ave	Portland	97220	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5220	1,681	99	17.0	97.8%	610 (36.3%)	207 (12.3%)	475 (28.3%)	194 (11.5%)	11 (0.7%)	18 (1.1%)	136 (8.1%)	38.9	159^th of 270 public high schools	41.1%		46.9	128^th of 268 public high schools	52.2%	31	37.9	24.1	22.6	$23,798	$1,604	$22,194

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson High School

How many students attend Jefferson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 456 students attended Jefferson High School.

Is Jefferson High School a good school?

Jefferson High School ranks in the bottom 14.8% of Oregon high schools.

What district is Jefferson High School in?

Portland School District 1J

What schools feed into Jefferson High School?

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson High School?

Students at Jefferson High School are 46% African American, 21% Hispanic, 16% White, 13% Two or more races.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Oregon Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.