PORTLAND, Ore — School, like everything else, has become a very different notion over the last six months, as "independent study" and "recess," at least the backyard variety thereof, have become full-on disciplines.
Even so, students will ostensibly one day return to classrooms, which will give the state's top schools another chance to shine. With that, we tapped the expertise of Niche.com, the Pittsburgh researcher, to ascertain which institutions — among all of Oregon's public and private high schools, middle schools and elementary schools — rank the highest as we near the fall semester's midpoint.
SLIDESHOW: Oregon's best schools for 2021 (rankings)
Among other findings, we learned:
- Nearly half — 19, to be exact — of the schools on the list are private. Of those, the top six schools are private.
- Thirteen of the schools are high school-only. Five are middle school-only.
- Five of the schools are K-12.
- Two Portland suburbs dominate the list’s geographic make-up. Ten of the schools are in Beaverton. The same goes for Lake Oswego. Another eight are in the city of Portland.
Niche.com bases most of its scores on an academics grade, which comprises 60 percent of the mark. That grade is based on "state assessment proficiency, SAT/ACT scores, and survey responses on academics from students and parents."
A culture and diversity grade, based on racial and economic diversity as well as student and parent surveys, provides 10 percent of the grade, as does a "teachers grade" predicated on salaries absenteeism, state test results and surveys. Input from parents and students contributes another 10 percent of the grade.
The other factors are clubs and activities, health and safety, resources and facilities and sports, each of which contribute 2.5 percent to the overall grade and ratings. Here’s more on how Niche formulates its rankings.
Click through to learn which schools, according to Niche.com, rank highest overall in Oregon.
The Portland Business Journal is a KGW News partner.
