Our Academic Journey
Together We Rise: Our Student Success Story
A transparent look at how Portland Public Schools is raising academic standards, supporting our teachers, and outperforming state and national averages to help every student thrive.
📊 DATA ANALYSIS Cycle: Through the 2024-2025 School Year Latest verified state dataset released as of 6/10/2026.
Behind every data point on this page is a Portland Public Schools student working hard to reach their potential, supported by dedicated families and exceptional teachers. Under our District Continuous Improvement Plan, we have focused our resources directly on what matters most: clear classroom goals, updated and high-quality learning materials, and targeted training for our staff.
We invite you to explore our progress, celebrate our shared victories, and see exactly where we are focusing our efforts to close learning gaps.
Our Goals: Reading & Math Excellence
Rising Standards: Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Success & Leading the State
Our focus on standards-aligned instruction and modern curriculum adoptions is delivering strong results. In our latest state assessments, PPS students haven't just bounced back from pandemic-era challenges, they have actively pushed past our old baselines, outperforming state averages by wide margins.
By ensuring our teachers have clear guidelines and state-of-the-art classroom materials, we are helping our students reach deeper, more meaningful levels of academic achievement.
56.4% PPS Reading Proficiency Exceeds the state average of 43.0% by over 13 points.
48.0% PPS Math Proficiency Exceeds the state average of 31.2% by nearly 17 points.
National Benchmarks
The Bigger Picture: Leading Our State & Competing Nationally
It is common to see headlines highlighting how Oregon's statewide academic outcomes lag behind the rest of the country. However, by norming our local state test (OSAS) results to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standards, we can see a clearer, more accurate picture of how Portland Public Schools compares to the rest of the nation.
The precise metrics mapped above tell an incredibly reassuring story for families: across all tested cohorts, Portland Public Schools has successfully outpaced the general state trend and meets or exceeds national benchmark distributions in every standard performance band.
| Subject Area | 📊 4th Grade Cohorts | 📊 8th Grade Cohorts |
|---|---|---|
| 📖 Reading |  |
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| 🧮 Mathematics |  |
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Our Goals: Regular Attendance
Welcome Back: Rebuilding a Strong Culture of Attendance
Students achieve more when they are in school consistently. After standard attendance took a steep post-pandemic drop down to 64.0% across our communities, our school teams immediately stepped in to help families navigate barriers keeping students home.
Thanks to these direct, compassionate outreach efforts, regular attendance has climbed back up to 67.8%. This steady, upward momentum officially pushes us out of a downward cycle and moves us back above the state average. While there is much work to still be done, the needle is moving in the right direction. Early indicators for the 2026 - 2027 school year suggest that this upward trend will continue.
Our Goals: Graduation & 9th On-Track
Honest Transparency: Supporting Every High School Senior
True public accountability means celebrating our massive systemic wins while being completely honest about our challenges. Our overall district graduation rate stands strong at 82.5%, proving that the vast majority of our high schoolers are successfully crossing the finish line.
However, when we look closer at our neighborhoods, graduation numbers for specific underserved student groups sit at 70.3%. Recognizing this gap is exactly why our high school teams are focus on 9th grade students being on track, intervening early in a student's high school career with custom tutoring and credit planning to make sure no one falls behind.
Doing More for Our Students, Responsibly
Like many school districts across the country, Portland Public Schools is navigating a long-term shift in neighborhood demographics, with our overall student enrollment dropping from 48,780 down toward 43,375. But here is the real victory for our community: despite a shrinking student base and rising operational costs, our academic achievement continues to rise. We strive to use public funds responsibly, investing deeply in teacher tools, classroom support, and solid frameworks so that every dollar spent translates directly into student success.
