Portland high schools scramble after enrollment surge
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Several Portland high schools are facing higher than projected enrollment numbers this academic year, potentially leading to hundreds of students being placed in study halls as officials scramble to fill out their schedules with necessary electives.
Why it matters: The surprise bump in enrollment bucks an ongoing trend of shrinking student numbers and potential school closures.
By the numbers: Five out of nine major Portland Public Schools high schools — Franklin, Lincoln, Cleveland, Grant and Wells — have roughly 40 to 135 more students than what the district planned for this year, according to the Oregonian.
- To address the unplanned surge, Lincoln and Grant were given funding to add at least one additional staff member before Tuesday's start of school.
- The roughly $3.4 million in over-enrollment funds the district had on hand is now gone, per Michelle Morrison, PPS' financial officer.
State of play: State law requires high school students to receive 990 hours of instruction time by certified educators. Portland has long used study halls as a replacement for other elective classes that have run out of space.
- In 2014, after years of complaints by parents who said the practice limits students' access to a meaningful day of learning, the state ruled the district must change their schedules or lose funding.
- Study halls can count for academic credit if they are monitored by a teacher. Overpacked study hall classes sometimes hold more than 40 students, against the intent of helping individual students with their homework.
Yes, but: Enrollment remains uneven across district high schools. For example, Jefferson, the only high school that offers dual enrollment, is down about 30 students.
- With construction of its $465 million modernization project coming up — which will greatly expand the North Portland campus — Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong said she may phase out allowing nearby students to opt out of attending Jefferson as a means to increase enrollment.
Between the lines: Most of the district's elementary and middle schools are coming in just under spring enrollment projections, though numbers won't be finalized until October, Renard Adams, PPS' research director, told the Oregonian.
- Forecasters still predict the state's low birth rates and housing affordability crisis will lead to a significant decline in enrollment in the years to come.