Best High Schools in Zip Code 97030

ZIP code 97030 in Gresham, Oregon is home to two large public high schools serving grades 9–12 — Centennial High School (Centennial School District 28J, 1,731 students) and Gresham High School (Gresham-Barlow School District 10J, 1,685 students) — together enrolling roughly 3,416 students in high-poverty settings where more than 85% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Neither school is above Oregon averages, but they stand out in different ways. Centennial High School posts the stronger academics and better attendance: ELA proficiency 33.1% vs 27.9%, math 16.1% vs 8.6%, science 16.6% vs 15.0%, and chronic absenteeism 48.0% vs 58.6% (state: 33.5%). Gresham High School has the higher graduation rate, 77.0% vs 70.6% (state: 83.0%), and the smaller student-teacher ratio, 23.4 vs 26.7. Even so, in 11th-grade ELA Centennial is 12.9 points below the state and Gresham 18.1 points below; in math, 6.8 and 14.3 points below. Gresham High School also trails its own district by wider margins, while Centennial's 11th-grade scores match its district exactly.

Both schools rank in the bottom quarter of Oregon high schools — Centennial 214 of 271 and Gresham 240 of 271 — and both carry 1-star ratings. Centennial spends more per student ($17,975 vs $17,188) despite a larger class size. One notable inversion: Gresham-Barlow School District 10J ranks above Centennial School District 28J among districts, yet Gresham High ranks below Centennial High among schools. In short, Centennial is the stronger option for test scores and attendance, while Gresham is stronger on graduation rate and class size.