In this week's PPS Pulse: Graduation rates rise to 80.5%; school calendar for 2020-21 approved.

The 2020-21 school year in Portland Public Schools will start on Wednesday, Sept. 2, and end on Friday, June 11 (if weather allows). The calendar for next school year was approved by the Board of Education at its meeting on Tuesday.

Anyone familiar with close-in Southeast Portland knows the train crossing at SE 11^th Avenue, near Division Street. A group of students from Winterhaven K-8 School tackled the traffic issues caused by stopped freight trains there, turning it into a project that earned an award at a state LEGO championship.

Graduation rates in Portland Public Schools rose to 80.5% for the 2018-19 school year, reaching the district's highest percentage since the state of Oregon adopted a four-year cohort model in 2010.