Jefferson is Rising Community Engagement Series Flyer

 English  Español  Русский  Soomaaliga   中文   Tiếng Việt

Jefferson is Rising: Community Feedback Form

Yes, Jefferson will allow transfers through the hardship petition process (for PPS students) and through the Right to Return program (for students who live in other school districts).

In May 2025 voters approved full funding to modernize Jefferson High School. Construction kicks-off this school year, with new, state-of-the-art facilities opening in Fall 2029. Jefferson students will remain on-site during construction. Learn more at www.pps.net/domain/8568.

Jefferson enrollment has declined as all the schools surrounding it have been modernized. Now it’s Jefferson’s turn to rise. Students should not have to leave their community to access robust programs.

Dual Assignment gives students living in Jefferson’s boundary two guaranteed options: Jefferson High School and a nearby comprehensive high school (Grant, McDaniel, or Roosevelt). It was created in 2011 to support Jefferson’s Middle College program and partnership with PCC, but it also led to fragmented enrollment across schools.

In 2022 the PPS Board directed that a plan to increase enrollment at Jefferson be in place by 2027.  Last spring, Superintendent Armstrong signaled to the Board that she would bring forward a proposal to end the Dual Assignment system and return Jefferson to a comprehensive high school model.

A team of district staff have developed several scenarios that would convert HS dual assignment zones to neighborhood boundaries.  Each plan would bring growth to Jefferson and lead to increased academic, elective and support opportunities for students.  The scenarios differ in the estimated enrollment at other nearby high schools, the proportion of students who would move together from middle school to high school, and other factors.

A scenario is a set of documents showing potential boundaries for Jefferson and other high schools and the impact the change could bring to each school.  The scenarios are drafts intended to illustrate the benefits and challenges of different boundary options for sunsetting dual assignment.

Three scenarios (A, B and C) are described with:

• A graphic showing each elementary, K-8 and middle school now in a Dual Assignment area and the high school boundary it would be part of if the scenario were approved
• Estimated high school enrollment and demographic information
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that highlight important outcomes and are aligned with Board Policy

Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs are statistics that show the potential impact of a proposal on important factors.  Below are the three primary indicators for the enrollment scenarios.

• o   The estimated proportion of students who would have access to a high school large enough to ensure a broad range of classes as well as course progressions (breadth and depth), including advanced studies, elective and career and technical courses.  The impact is shown for all students across the four high schools, as well as for Black and Native American students and Multilingual Learners.

• o   The estimated high school enrollment range.  The target is to have a population difference of no more than 350 students across the four high schools, ensuring a greater chance of balanced opportunities for all students, regardless of which school they attend. Last year the range was 1,663 students. The estimated proportion of students who would move together from middle to high school.  Under the current dual assignment system, there is no guarantee that students who live in the same area will go together to the same high school.

Scenarios A, B, and C had the best KPI outcomes out of a total of five plans developed by a district staff team.  Results for all five scenarios are described on the Scenario Summary Table and on other supporting documents.

 All data is subject to change, and will be updated as new information becomes available.

Additional resources available on the Jefferson is Rising webpage include

• Descriptions of current academic programs at the four high schools
• Estimated transit times from each feeder school to Jefferson and the current dual assignment choice (Grant, McDaniel or Roosevelt)
• Detailed estimates of future high school enrollment and potential school demographics if all the changes had been in place during the last school year

The scenarios proposed high school changes only.  The existing boundaries for elementary, K-8 and middle schools are not changed in this process.

Currently the Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program starts at Beach ES.  The program has gotten smaller over the years as the number of native Spanish speaking students living in the Jefferson cluster has shrunk.  Beach Spanish DLI students move to Ockley Green MS before going on to Roosevelt HS, where they join students from two Roosevelt cluster Spanish DLI programs.  The result is enough students to create multiple sections.  If the Beach/Ockley Green program moved to Jefferson, both high schools would have smaller programs which would be harder to staff and create fewer opportunities for students.

Plan to attend one of five engagement opportunities:

• October 20, 5:30 pm @ Ockley Green MS
• October 23, 5:30 pm @ Harriet Tubman MS
• October 27, 5:30 pm @ Faubion PK-8
• October 29, 6pm @ Vernon K-8
• November 3, 6pm, Virtual

The PPS Board of Education will vote on a new enrollment plan for Jefferson High School in early 2026.

The Board will decide the start date, but it is most likely to take effect beginning in Fall 2027 with the class of 2031. If approved, the most likely impact is:

• Current 7th grade students (Class of 2031) will be the first group who have a single neighborhood high school instead of a Dual Assignment choice.
• Students in 8th grade this year (Class of 2030) will select their high school through Dual Assignment choice. Selections are due by Winter Break 2025.
• Current high schoolers are not impacted by the proposed changes.