Students who take career, tech ed (CTE) classes have 95% rate
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The statewide graduation rate for the class of 2023 is 81.3 percent, tying the previous class as the second-highest graduation rate ever recorded in Oregon, according to data released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
While the overall rate held steady, some student groups reached all-time highs for graduation, including former English Learners (87.6%) and Migrant students (81.6%).
“These 37,700 graduates overcame historic challenges to earn their diploma. During their journey to graduation the class of 2023 endured the full, multi-year impact of COVID and its aftermath,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, Oregon Department of Education director.
“Each diploma represents an inspiring step forward for a student, their loved ones, and their community. With impressive grit and resourcefulness they worked their way through the jarring and isolating impacts of the pandemic to earn their education. We need to maintain high expectations and provide high levels of support that will lead to academic excellence for all of our students.
“Each and every child from birth through 5th grade must be set up for success in learning to read and reading to learn and be provided opportunities to find their path to graduation success and their dream career,” Williams added.
Governor Tina Kotek said, “I am never satisfied when it comes to our kids. We will continue working hard to improve results in the coming school years.
“Still, it’s important that we are seeing some positive results in key areas where the state has been targeting resources, such as career and technical education and supporting English Language Learners. This targeted approach to success is working for our students, so let’s do more of that, and I hope lawmakers support summer learning investment in the 2024 session,” Kotek said.
Student Group
Class of 2022
Class of 2023
Percentage Point Change
All Students
81.3
81.3
0.0
Asian
92.1
92.1
0.0
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
74.6
75.9
+1.3
American Indian/ Alaska Native
68.9
68.2
-0.7
Black/ African American
73.7
73.1
-0.6
Hispanic/ Latino
78.7
78.6
-0.1
White
82.5
82.6
+0.1
Multi-Racial
79.7
79.8
+0.1
Female
84.2
83.6
-0.6
Male
78.8
79.4
+0.6
Non-Binary
72.0
71.8
-0.2
Economically Disadvantaged
80.7
80.7
0.0
Not Economically Disadvantaged
83.4
83.6
+0.2
English Learners Anytime in High School
65.3
68.1
+2.8
Former English Learners
86.4
87.6
+1.2
Never English Learners
81.7
81.5
-0.2
Special Education
67.5
68.6
+1.1
Not Special Education
83.7
83.5
-0.2
Talented and Gifted
95.5
96.3
+0.8
Not Talented and Gifted
80.0
79.8
-0.2
Migrant
81.4
81.6
+0.2
Homeless
58.6
60.6
+2.0
In Foster Care
48.4
46.9
-1.5
Military Connected
—
86.7
—
Career and Tech. Ed Participants
89.0
88.8
-0.2
Career and Tech. Ed Concentrators
93.0
95.0
+2.0
Students Recently Arrived
—
63.3
—
Students with Experience in Incarceration or Detention
—
35.8
—
Other key findings include:
—
News release from Bend-La Pine Schools
Graduation Rate Rises Sharply for La Pine High School
2023 graduation rate for Bend-La Pine Schools is 83.6 percent
La Pine High School’s graduation rate improved nearly 11 percentage points last year, with an especially high rate among students taking Career Technical Education classes.
The school’s 2023 graduation rate was 70 percent, an increase of 10.9 percentage points from 2022, according to data released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education.
Nearly all La Pine students receiving multiple credits in a CTE program area graduated in 2023 – gains of roughly 20 percentage points over the prior year.
“I’m very happy and proud of our staff that we have double-digit gains,” La Pine High Principal Scott Olszewski said. “We have great teachers in La Pine, and we offer a lot for a small high school, from our Career Technical Education offerings to fantastic music and theater programs and world language.”
Olszewski credited the relevancy and high engagement that CTE programs offer for helping boost the school’s graduation rate in 2023. Program areas include natural resource science, manufacturing technology and metals, criminal justice and law, and business management.
This year the school added an Education Foundations class, in alignment with Central Oregon Community College, for students to explore the field of education and lesson planning. This spring students will apply their knowledge to a 60-hour practicum, partnering with educators at Rosland and La Pine elementary schools and La Pine Middle School.
Continuity in staffing, including administrators, counselors, and the school-to-career coordinator, is another factor in student success, Olszewski said. The small 2023 class of 82 graduates also benefited from strong relationships with teachers and support staff who are invested in the La Pine community, he added.
“With our classified staff, most if not all live in La Pine, from custodial and nutrition services to our library and front office staff. I think that’s huge,” he said.
Bend-La Pine Schools graduated 1,260 students last year for an overall graduation rate of 83.6 percent – a slight increase from 2022 and the second-highest completion rate in the past 12 years. The statewide graduation rate was 81.3 percent for 2023.
About the Numbers: The graduation rate tracks students beginning in ninth grade and measures how many of those students graduate within four years. The rate is adjusted for students moving in or out of the district.
Bend-La Pine Schools’ 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate Over Time:
· 2022-23: 83.6 percent
· 2021-22: 83.5 percent
· 2020-21: 82.4 percent
· 2019-20: 85.9 percent
· 2018-19: 80.6 percent
· 2017-18: 81.9 percent
· 2016-17: 78.7 percent
· 2015-16: 77.5 percent
· 2014-15: 77.2 percent
· 2013-14: 77.2 percent
· 2012-13: 78.6 percent
· 2011-12: 72.2 percent
School-Specific 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate for 2022-23:
· Bend Senior High: 86.9 percent
· Bend Tech Academy (formerly BTA at Marshall High School): 69.2 percent
· La Pine High: 70 percent
· Mountain View High: 86.3 percent
· Realms High: 92.3 percent
· Summit High: 95.2 percent
Caldera High School’s first senior class will graduate this June.
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Saturday at 11:39 p.m. until Sunday at 4 a.m. for North Central Oregon and Central Oregon.
“Patchy dense fog will reduce visibilities to one quarter of a mile or less in the city of Bend and portions of US-97, US-197, and US-20. If you are driving, slow down, use low beam headlights and allow for extra space between your vehicle and those around you,” according to the weather service.
When Emily Purry casually asked her surf guide how far off she might be from competing, she never expected his answer would catapult her onto Team USA within weeks. On a recent episode of the Peak Northwest podcast, Purry shared the whirlwind journey that transformed her from a beginner blind adaptive surfer to an international competitor representing Oregon on the world stage.
“It was quite the whirlwind. Honestly, nothing that I expected or really even thought could happen,” Purry, who goes by “Strong Sightless Surfer” on Instagram, told host Chiara Profenna. “I’ve been surfing for a very short time. I’m very new to the sport.”
That conversation with her guide quickly escalated from hypothetical to actionable. When he suggested she could compete immediately, Purry discovered she needed to enter a competition before Team USA tryouts, leaving her with just two options: Hawaii the following week or Japan in three weeks.
Despite being a novice surfer who had progressively lost her sight to Stargardt’s macular degeneration, she made a decision that would intimidate even seasoned travelers: “As weird as it sounds, I think I can pull off Japan. And so, I flew to Japan independently. It was my first time flying internationally by myself.”
The logistics were daunting. In rapid succession, Purry had to purchase her first surfboard, navigate international travel alone, and trust strangers in a foreign country where communication was difficult. “I had to meet people I’d never seen before in my life. I talked to one of them on the phone once,” she explained, detailing how she was picked up by a Japanese man whose English was limited.
Despite these challenges, Purry not only competed in Japan but returned home and, just eight days later, successfully tried out for Team USA.
For Purry, this journey represents far more than athletic achievement.
“It started to bring my confidence back as far as who was I, who I used to be, and how much I missed me as a human being,” Purry shared, highlighting the deep connection between physical activity and sense of self.
Purry spoke on the podcast as she was preparing for the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Competition in Oceanside, California, held Nov. 2–7.
“I definitely want to win,” she shared on the podcast, revealing the competitive spirit that propelled her from that first casual conversation to the international stage in mere weeks. In Oceanside, Purry went on to help Team USA secure the silver medal at the ISA World Championships.
Listen to the full episode here:
Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive’s travel and outdoors podcast Peak Northwest on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Hosts Jamie Hale and Chiara Profenna take you to some of the greatest destinations in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Check out more Peak Northwest episodes below.
We’re at the final week of Oregon high school football and the Class 3A state tournament all comes down to No. 1 Cascade Christian (12-0) and No. 3 Burns (11-1).
Here is a breakdown of Saturday’s Class 3A state championship game, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Summit High School in Bend.
Last meeting: Burns won 46-19 in Week 3 of the 2014 season.
Quick fact: Cascade Christian is vying to become the first team to give up zero points en route to a state title since Regis won the Class A championship in 1973.
Road to the final: Def. Phoenix 54-7 (first round), Vale 32-20 (quarterfinals), Banks 36-31 (semifinals)
Last state championship: 2024 (second)
Last state final: 2024 (fifth appearance)
Coach: Matt Bruck, third season (28-14)
Offensive leaders: QB Jack Wright, sr. (144-246-3-2445, 40 TDs pass; 88-491-12 rush); RB Tommy Winn, sr. (139-943-9); WR Coltin Miller, sr. (79-1505-21); WR Preston Hill, sr. (31-471-7); TE Cannon Kemper, jr. (19-342-8)
Defensive leaders: LB Jasper SkunkCap, jr. (73 tackles, 15 for loss); DL Joe Weil, sr. (68 tackles, 28 for loss, 11.5 sacks); LB Kemper (69 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks); LB Colter Handley, soph. (56 tackles, 5 for loss); DL Ben Chamberlain, jr. (13 tackles for loss)
Lighthearted moment: Several weeks ago, the team played a game of “blob tag,” which requires teammates to remain attached by holding hands or interlocking arms, and as they tag players and attach them to the blob, it breaks off to form new blobs. Who started as the blob? Two of their biggest linemen — Weil and classmate Wesley Graham — trying to chase down their quicker teammates, which Bruck said was a funny sight.
Secret weapon: Weil also rated a mention as the leader of the Hilanders’ offensive and defensive lines.
“On the offensive side of the ball, they create gaps for Tommy and Jack to run through as well as protect Jack,” Challengers coach Jon Gettman said. “On defense, they just shut down a Banks team that had run the ball really well all season. They are a very physical, well-coached team that puts a lot of pressure on you.”
Road to the final: Def. Pleasant Hill 68-0 (first round), North Valley 48-0 (quarterfinals), Gervais 36-0 (semifinals)
Last state championship: 2023 (fifth)
Last state final: 2023 (eighth appearance)
Coach: Jon Gettman, 16th season (155-32)
Offensive leaders: QB Deryk Farmer, sr. (89-147-4-1556, 16 TDs pass; 64-682-11 rush); RB Bryson Walker, jr. (89-986-27); WR Caleb Scaglione, sr. (38-563-7); WR Mikey Covey, soph. (11-353-2); WR Caleb Parker, sr. (15-335-3)
Defensive leaders: LB Covey (63 tackles, 14 for loss, 3.5 sacks, 11 hurries); LB Wyatt Hurley, jr. (59 tackles, 6 for loss); LB Walker (58 tackles); DE Alex Fiannaca, sr. (53 tackles, 11.5 for loss); LB Seth Scaglione, jr. (44 tackles, 10 for loss, 4.5 sacks); DE Austin Cook, jr. (9.5 tackles for loss)
Lighthearted moment: One night before the season kicked off, Gettman invited all the players and their fathers to gather for a night of worship and prayer along with a talk from guest speaker Brandon Boice, a former Oregon State player. It was such a success that Gettman held another session during their Week 7 bye.
“We spend so much time and effort on the gridiron,” Gettman said. “But the greatest blessing is seeing these young men grow up and be leaders in the community. So, taking a break from the season and just being able to speak to the weightier things of life is what I’m thankful for.”
Secret weapon: Bruck pointed to their big three of Farmer, Walker and Caleb Scaglione, “but everything has to run through their quarterback,” he said. “But really, you have to pay equal attention to their trio.”
— René Ferrán is a freelance reporter for The Oregonian/Oregon Live. René grew up in Portland and has written about high school sports in the Pacific Northwest since 1993, with his work featured at the Idaho Press Tribune, Tri-City Herald, Seattle Times, Tacoma News Tribune, The Columbian and High School on SI. He can be reached at rferran.oregonianhssports@gmail.com
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