Forest Grove reports enrollment dip and rising graduation rates

Forest Grove School District staff told the board on Feb. 11 that a recent enrollment shortfall, if it continues through the school year, is likely to affect the district’s budget and staffing for the upcoming biennium.

Superintendent Dr. Suzanne West said February’s enrollment report shows the district a few students below a previous shortfall of 29 students and that “if this continues … this almost certainly will impact our finances for the upcoming budget season as well as the biennium.”

At the same meeting, district staff presented graduation and dropout data showing improvement. Forest Grove High School’s four-year graduation rate for the 2023–24 school year was reported at 84 percent; the districtwide four-year rate was 82.9 percent.

A staff presenter said the district’s reporting changed in 2023–24 when Calc (an alternative high school) began reporting separately; that separation altered the high-school-level baseline but not district-level tracking. Projection lines from the Oregon Data Suite suggest that, if recent upward trends continue, the district could approach an 89–90 percent graduation rate in coming years.

The presenter also noted steady progress for emerging bilingual (English learner) students: their graduation rates and declining dropout rates were highlighted as a sign that gaps are beginning to close.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the data sources and acknowledged that state testing and participation issues complicate cross-year comparisons. No formal action was taken; staff said they will return with updated integrated-plan materials and longitudinal-performance targets.