Oregon school report card shows gains, declines and dramatic, continuing enrollment drop

The Oregon Department of Education recently released its annual statewide report card, providing a glimpse into the state’s public school system for the 2022-23 school year.

Officials reported a decline in enrollment and regular attendance, a decline in teacher experience and a higher number of students experiencing homelessness.

The percentage of students of color still is dramatically higher than that of teachers of color, with both increasing last year.

And, after adjusting for inflation, average teacher salaries have fallen over the past decade.

“Clearly the results show we have more work to do to set Oregon’s students up for success,” ODE Director Dr. Charlene Williams said in a news release.

The annual snapshot released Thursday includes hundreds of data points — everything from student demographics to education funding information — much of which also is released throughout the year in individual reports.

Among the findings in the 85-page report:

• There has been a dramatic and continuing decline in enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 552,380 students enrolled in the state’s public schools on Oct. 2, 2022. That’s 29,350, or 5.1%, fewer students than in 2018-19, before the pandemic. Education officials attributed the decline to the impacts of the pandemic and distance learning.
• There were 21,478 students experiencing housing insecurity in 2022-23, a 15% increase from the prior year.
• There are 333 unique languages spoken by Oregon students.
• The number of women serving as principals increased by 3 percentage points to 58% in 2022-23, compared to 55% in 2021-22.
• For the fourth year in a row, there has been an increase in the number of non-binary students reported in fall enrollment.
• The percentage of ninth graders on track to graduate increased again in 2022-23, compared to 2021-22. The total statewide rate increased by 0.8 percentage points to 83.6% and is approaching pre-pandemic levels.
• Graduation rates increased for all student groups, with the largest increase in student groups whose needs have historically not been met by Oregon’s education system. The graduation rate for students experiencing houselessness increased by 3.2 percentage points, and for migrant students by 3.1 percentage points.

To view this year’s and past years’ reports, as well as at-a-glance profiles for individual schools and districts, go to www.oregon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/reportcards.

Tracy Loew covers education at the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips: tloew@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6779. Follow her on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew