Board opens community process to boost Jefferson High School enrollment as modernization continues

Portland Public Schools staff presented an initial plan on June 10 to stabilize and grow enrollment at Jefferson High School as the district proceeds with a multi-year modernization of the campus.

Superintendent Kimberly Armstrong and district staff told the board that Jefferson has long been treated as a specialized center within the city but that the district's dual-assignment policy has fragmented the student body and contributed to low enrollment. John Franco, the staff lead on the proposal, told directors the board's December 2022 direction (Resolution 4,358) required the district to resolve Jefferson's assignment structure ahead of the modernized campus reopening.

Key facts and timeline: As of the June meeting, the district reported 87 rising ninth-grade commitments to Jefferson. Jefferson's current enrollment is roughly 449 students; modernized high schools typically have a capacity near 750 students. The district also presented the published modernization schedule, which the Office of School Modernization lists as phased work through 2029, though Superintendent Armstrong said the district is pursuing options to accelerate that timeline.

Staff described a three-phase public engagement plan that will run through the fall: (1) review and initiate, grounding the work in current enrollment and the history of dual assignment; (2) community engagement with families, students and staff to develop scenarios; and (3) study and recommend an enrollment model to the board in winter 2026. The work will be coordinated with a marketing campaign and targeted outreach to attract students to Jefferson while assessing the impacts on neighboring high schools.

Why it matters: Jefferson sits in North Portland and has historically served significant numbers of Black students and families. District leaders said the modernization offers a strategic inflection point to reestablish Jefferson's identity and program offerings, but they warned that delay risks continuing decline in cohorts and program reductions that are harder to reverse.

Community and board response: Directors and staff urged rapid, visible improvements and broad outreach. Suggestions from directors included substantial alumni engagement, recruiting experienced teachers, highlighting Jefferson's middle-college relationship with Portland Community College, and starting immediate small improvements (for example lunch logistics, facility repairs and other student experience items) that students themselves identified as barriers to enrollment.

Staff also emphasized that the engagement will consider equity impacts and the effect of any assignment change on neighboring schools. Assistant Superintendent Margaret Calvert and Chief Communications Officer Candace Gross outlined a coordinated marketing effort informed by district analysis and a targeted Jefferson marketing toolkit for families, staff and community partners.

Next steps: Staff will begin community dialogues this summer and fall and return to the board with a recommendation early in 2026. The recommendation could propose a phased transition in assignments before the new building opens, or it could wait to implement changes at the campus reopening; staff said both timing and sequencing would be shaped by community feedback.

Ending note: Board members emphasized urgency, noting that every year without a credible enrollment plan reduces the district's ability to sustain academic breadth and extracurricular programs at Jefferson.