As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a ’96 commencement address at Wellesley College, “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” If that’s the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It’s a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.5 million students enrolled in public PreK-12 schools in 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Oregon using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
Editor’s note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in Oregon had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.
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#30. West Salem High School
– District: Salem-Keizer School District
– Enrollment: 1,732 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#29. Franklin High School
– District: Portland Public Schools
– Enrollment: 1,999 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#28. Clackamas High School
– District: North Clackamas School District
– Enrollment: 2,395 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#27. Philomath High School
– District: Philomath School District
– Enrollment: 396 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#26. Sisters High School
– District: Sisters School District
– Enrollment: 394 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#25. West Albany High School
– District: Greater Albany Public School District
– Enrollment: 1,218 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#24. Tigard High School
– District: Tigard-Tualatin School District
– Enrollment: 1,782 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#23. Baker Early College
– District: Baker School District
– Enrollment: 329 (329:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#22. Early College High School
– District: Salem-Keizer School District
– Enrollment: 202 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#21. Beaverton Academy of Science & Engineering
– District: Beaverton School District
– Enrollment: 840 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#20. South Salem High School
– District: Salem-Keizer School District
– Enrollment: 2,196 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#19. Southridge High School
– District: Beaverton School District
– Enrollment: 1,481 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#18. Sherwood High School
– District: Sherwood School District
– Enrollment: 1,619 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#17. Century High School
– District: Hillsboro School District
– Enrollment: 1,517 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#16. Ashland High School
– District: Ashland School District
– Enrollment: 938 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
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#15. Corvallis High School
– District: Corvallis School District
– Enrollment: 1,059 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#14. Sunset High School
– District: Beaverton School District
– Enrollment: 2,026 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#13. Tualatin High School
– District: Tigard-Tualatin School District
– Enrollment: 1,866 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#12. Crescent Valley High School
– District: Corvallis School District
– Enrollment: 829 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#11. Grant High School
– District: Portland Public Schools
– Enrollment: 1,966 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#10. Mountainside High School
– District: Beaverton School District
– Enrollment: 1,754 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#9. Wilsonville High School
– District: West Linn-Wilsonville School District
– Enrollment: 1,212 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#8. Riverdale High School
– District: Riverdale School District
– Enrollment: 221 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#7. Lincoln High School
– District: Portland Public Schools
– Enrollment: 1,482 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#6. South Eugene High School
– District: Eugene School District
– Enrollment: 1,538 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
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#5. International School of Beaverton – High School
– District: Beaverton School District
– Enrollment: 867 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#4. West Linn High School
– District: West Linn-Wilsonville School District
– Enrollment: 1,887 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#3. Westview High School
– District: Beaverton School District
– Enrollment: 2,366 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#2. Lakeridge High School
– District: Lake Oswego School District
– Enrollment: 1,254 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#1. Lake Oswego Senior High School
– District: Lake Oswego School District
– Enrollment: 1,251 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+