Bridges High School

Bridges High School is a public high school located in Madras, Oregon, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 85 students. The school is part of the Jefferson County School District 509J, which is ranked 129 out of 140 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Bridges High School has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing high schools in Oregon, with a statewide ranking of 270 out of 270 schools in the 2024-2025 school year and a 0-star rating.

Bridges High School faces significant challenges in academic performance, graduation rates, and student engagement. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 6.5% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, and 8.3% were proficient or better in Science, compared to the state averages of 44.4% and 32.6%, respectively. The school's graduation rates have been inconsistent, ranging from 75.8% to 91.5% in recent years, and its chronic absenteeism rates are alarmingly high, ranging from 34.3% to 84.6%. Interestingly, the nearby Madras High School, which is also part of the Jefferson County School District 509J, has higher academic proficiency rates, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism, despite serving a similarly high proportion of low-income students.

Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of $37,019 in the 2022-2023 school year and a low student-teacher ratio of 12.1 in the 2023-2024 school year, Bridges High School's performance continues to lag behind its local counterpart and the state averages. Addressing the root causes of these issues, such as improving instructional practices, increasing student support, and fostering a positive school climate, will be crucial for the school to improve and better serve its students.