| Forest Grove High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 1401 Nichols Lane Forest Grove, Oregon, Washington County, 97116 United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Opened | 1907 |
| School district | Forest Grove School District |
| Principal | Karen Robinson[1][2][3] |
| Faculty | 79.0 (on FTE basis)[4] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 1979[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 21.7[4] |
| Color(s) | Maroon and gold [1] |
| Athletics conference | OSAA Pacific Conference 6A-5[1] |
| Mascot | Vikings[1] |
| Newspaper | Viking Log[5] |
| Website | FGHS website |
Forest Grove High School is a public high school in Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. It is the only high school in the Forest Grove School District.
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As of the 2008-09 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,922 students and 94.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 20.4.[4]
The school had the highest rate for drop outs in Washington County and test scores below the state average in the early 2000s.[6] Forest Grove High then hired a new principal, John O'Neil, to address these issues in 2002.[6] The principal introduced the mandatory Reading and Math Workshops for students below the state average to raise their performance. This and other changes helped to reduce the dropout rate and improve test scores at the school.[6] For these improvements, in 2006 the school was presented the Closing the Achievement Gap award from the State of Oregon.[7] The following year, the 2,000-student school became the first high school to win the award two years in a row.[8] During this time graduation rates improved from around 66% to 85%.[8] The school has been awarded the Bronze Medal by US News and World Report's rankings of America's Best High Schools.[9]
In 2008, 73% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 444 students, 325 graduated, 51 dropped out, 19 received a modified diploma, and 49 are still in high school.[10][11]
In 2009, The Oregonian described the school as an "overachiever" at teaching reading and math, due to its achievement scores.[3]
In 1976, Birt Hansen started the Viking House Program. Each year the students build a single-family home in the community.[13] They begin building in early September and finish construction with an open house in late May.[14] The house is then put up for sale at market price, with the proceeds then used for furthering the program with purchases of new tools and the materials for the next house.[14][15] This program is one of few focused on house construction in Portland-area schools, in addition to Canby High School and Benson Polytechnic High School.[15][16] The program adopted "learn by doing" as their motto. Through 2011, the program had built 35 homes.[17]
The school also operates a firefighting cadet program that began in 2001.[18] The program allows juniors and seniors to learn firefighting techniques that are usually taught at the community college level to prepare students for careers in firefighting. Forest Grove’s fire department and the school partner in the program with the fire department providing instructors.[18]