Riverdale High School

• Imagine a public high school so attractive that two-thirds of its students come from outside its small district boundaries, paying close to $12,000 a year to attend. A public high school that has to compete even for its own resident students, who have access to Portland area private schools and an adjoining district's large traditional high schools.
• Imagine a high school from which students graduate with four more credits than the state requires -- including eight additional classes in the core subjects of English, Math, Science, History and Art, plus at least four foreign language courses and a year-long Senior Exhibition many compare to a college thesis.
• Imagine a high school where close to 100 percent of its graduates go on to four-year colleges, including some of the most impressive schools in the country.
• Imagine a high school that offers an Honors Curriculum within each class section, challenging those who want it, but not isolating students from each other. In so doing, the school builds an inclusive social fabric as strong as its academic standing.
• Imagine a high school with a curriculum so rigorous that without AP-specific classes students are prepared to succeed in a wide variety of AP exams, which the school proctors. A school in which students can earn up to 53 college credits taught on campus by the high school's instructors.
• Imagine a high school where there are a wide variety of activities: athletic teams, drama, music, Mock Trial, Bridge Building (state champions 2005-2015, plus numerous international wins) -- where everyone is encouraged to participate rather than spectate.
• Imagine a high school built on these ideas that grew in its first 10 years from 30 students to approximately 250.
• That school is Riverdale High School in Portland, OR.

Profile last updated: 11/30/2015