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Jefferson High School

Public Grades 9-12

205^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 271 Oregon High Schools

Better than 24% of Oregon high schools

Summary

Jefferson High School is a grades 9–12 comprehensive high school at 5210 N Kerby Ave in North Portland, part of Portland School District 1J, serving 456 students — roughly one-third the size of the typical Portland high school. In 2025–26 it ranked 205 of 271 Oregon high schools (24th percentile, 1 star), even though the district itself is one of Oregon's strongest, ranked 12 of 141.

The single biggest issue is attendance: 63.5% of Jefferson students were chronically absent in 2024–25, about 1.9 times the district and state rates and the highest of any comprehensive Portland high school — compare Grant (36.0%), Lincoln (34.2%) or Benson Polytechnic (41.3%). Math is the other outlier, at 5.6% proficiency versus 22.9% statewide and 36.5% in the district — again the lowest among comprehensive peers. English language arts is a different story: 41% is close to Oregon's 46% and above Roosevelt (35.7%). Graduation had been a strength, reaching 91.4% in 2022–23 and beating both the district and the state for four years, before dropping 14.4 points to 77.0% in 2024–25 — the most notable anomaly in the data.

There is real positive news. The overall state rank has improved four years running (4th → 12th → 15th → 24th percentile), and several student groups now rank well above the school as a whole — African American students at 8 of 24 (67th percentile, 4 stars), multiracial students at the 45th percentile and Hispanic students at the 39th. Jefferson also has the smallest classes in its peer group (13.1 students per teacher) and near-top spending ($28,017 per student) while serving a higher-need population than most Portland high schools, comparable in that respect mainly to McDaniel. The clearest priorities are attendance, math and science, and watching whether the graduation dip holds.

456

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,017

Per pupil spending ?

71.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

90.1%

Students (K-12) with all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 9.1% (any vaccine)

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 — 14th percentile in 2014 → 24th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Oregon average (25% vs 37% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg53%

Oregon avg37%

205^th of 271

Oregon public high schools ?

Bottom 24%▲ up 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 2% (2016) to bottom 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Oregon High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 10High Schools in the Portland School District 1J

12^th of 141Portland 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
2026	25.9	205 of 271	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	55.4	8 of 24	66.7%	★★★★☆
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
2026	21.1	169 of 214	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	32.9	82 of 134	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	23.7	125 of 152	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	28.7	165 of 226	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	47.4	43 of 78	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
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

African American (2026)67th percentile+42 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)45th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)39th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)14th percentile~ school

By subject vs Oregon (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts41%-3 vs state

Science20%-10 vs state

Mathematics6%-27 vs state

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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

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				OSAS English Language Arts (2026)		OSAS Mathematics (2026)		OSAS Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	OSAS English Language Arts 11th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts All Grades	OSAS Mathematics 11th Grade	OSAS Mathematics All Grades	OSAS Science 11th Grade	OSAS Science All Grades	Vaccination: Students (K-12) with all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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	—	75 (16.4%)	211 (46.3%)	98 (21.5%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	59 (12.9%)	25.9	205^th of 271 public high schools	24.4%		19.2	230^th of 270 public high schools	14.8%	25	41.0	41.0	5.6	5.6	20.4	20.4	90.1%	9.1%	$28,017	$2,315	$25,702
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%)	44.7	134^th of 271 public high schools	50.6%		49.9	122^nd of 270 public high schools	54.8%	12	42.1	42.1	25.8	25.8	27.1	27.1	90.3%	9.4%	$30,828	$1,665	$29,162
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%)	12.1	254^th of 271 public high schools	6.3%					(n/a)	19.0	19.0	9.1	9.1	18.2	18.2			$35,283	$1,677	$33,606
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%)	82.8	40^th of 271 public high schools	85.2%		92.3	17^th of 270 public high schools	93.7%	23	51.4	51.4	54.1	54.1	54.8	54.8	92.9%	6.6%	$21,007	$1,150	$19,857
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%)	87.9	28^th of 271 public high schools	89.7%		93.7	15^th of 270 public high schools	94.4%	13	57.0	57.0	46.7	46.7	62.8	62.8	92.6%	6.2%	$22,105	$1,181	$20,924
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%)	30.6	189^th of 271 public high schools	30.3%		19.1	231^st of 270 public high schools	14.4%	42	35.7	35.7	11.5	11.5	31.6	31.6	90.8%	8%	$23,236	$1,524	$21,712
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%)	91.5	19^th of 271 public high schools	93.0%		91.2	19^th of 270 public high schools	93.0%		72.8	72.8	45.9	45.9	52.8	52.8	90.9%	8.3%	$21,502	$1,125	$20,376
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%)	54.2	106^th of 271 public high schools	60.9%		38.9	159^th of 270 public high schools	41.1%	53	46.9	46.9	31.4	31.4	28.7	28.7	91.1%	7.3%	$22,604	$1,008	$21,595
Helensview High School	Public	6-12	8678 NE Sumner St	Portland	97220	Multnomah County	Multnomah Education Service District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 262-4150	119	12	9.9	—	23 (19.3%)	33 (27.7%)	36 (30.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (14.3%)								(n/a)							94.2%	4.3%	$00	$00	$00
Franklin High School	Public	9-12	5405 SE Woodward St	Portland	97206	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-5140	1,807	98	18.4	41.9%	913 (50.5%)	81 (4.5%)	364 (20.1%)	192 (10.6%)	4 (0.2%)	20 (1.1%)	188 (10.4%)	66.8	78^th of 271 public high schools	71.2%		54.2	106^th of 270 public high schools	60.7%	28	47.8	47.8	28.8	28.8	50.0	50.0	91.3%	7.8%	$21,410	$1,078	$20,331

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 24.4% 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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Latest Oregon data All new data »

2015–16 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2014–15 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 OSAS test scoresSep 25, 2026

2023–24 through 2024–25 school spending dataAug 24, 2026

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.