High Schools in Newberg School District 29J

Newberg School District 29J includes two high schools serving grades 9–12: the large Newberg Senior High School and the much smaller Catalyst High School. Together they enroll 1,417 students; Newberg Senior High School has 1,244 (87.8%) and Catalyst High School has 173 (12.2%). Newberg School District 29J ranks 20th of 141 in Oregon, at the 86th percentile with 4 stars. Data cover 2023–2024 through 2025–2026 ranks, 2025–2026 OSAS tests, and 2024–2025 graduation, absenteeism, spending, and student-teacher ratios.

Newberg Senior High School is the stronger academic performer. Its graduation rate is 92.6%, above the district’s 86.4% and the state’s 83.0%, while Catalyst High School’s is 66.3%. In 11th-grade 2025–2026 OSAS proficiency, Newberg Senior High School scores 50.5% in English Language Arts, 26.8% in Mathematics, and 33.3% in Science; Catalyst High School scores 28.6%, 15.4%, and 24.1%. Newberg Senior High School is above the district in all three subjects and above the state in ELA and Math. Catalyst High School is below the district and state in all three. Catalyst High School’s chronic absenteeism is 66.9%, compared with 34.2% at Newberg Senior High School, 29.4% districtwide, and 33.5% statewide. Newberg Senior High School’s 2025–2026 rank is 102 of 271 (62nd percentile, 3 stars), down from 74 of 268 (72nd percentile, 4 stars) in 2023–2024. Catalyst High School’s rank is 208 of 271 (23rd percentile, 1 star), up from 250 of 270 (7th percentile, 0 stars) in 2024–2025.

The resource gap is notable. Newberg Senior High School spends $17,497 per student, compared with $5,185 at Catalyst High School—about 3.37 times more—and has a student-teacher ratio of 20.6 versus 49.4 at Catalyst High School. Catalyst High School also has a higher free/reduced-lunch rate, 67.05%, compared with 47.75% at Newberg Senior High School. The 11th-grade achievement gap is 21.9 points in ELA, 11.4 in Math, and 9.2 in Science; the graduation-rate gap is 26.3 points. Use 11th-grade scores for high school comparisons. Catalyst High School is improving but remains in the bottom quartile, while Newberg Senior High School is the district’s academic anchor. Small-school and alternative-school finance can be complex, so spending figures should be verified.