Public education in Oregon

K-12 education in Oregon

Education facts

State superintendent: Charlene Williams

Number of students: 581,849

Number of teachers: 29,799

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:19.5

Number of school districts: 197

Number of schools: 1,246

Graduation rate: 80%

Per-pupil spending: $12,855

See also

Oregon Department of Education • List of school districts in Oregon • Oregon • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Oregon Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Oregon public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Oregon had 581,849 students enrolled in a total of 1,246 schools in 197 school districts. There were 29,799 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 20 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Oregon spent on average $12,855 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 80 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Oregon compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Oregon
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Oregon	1,246	197	581,849	29,799	1:19.5	$12,855
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states, students in Oregon scored below those in Washington, about on par with those in Idaho, and above those in California. The best scores in the state were earned by fourth graders in math, with 40 percent scoring at or above proficient.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Oregon	40%	34%	33%	37%
California	33%	28%	27%	29%
Idaho	40%	36%	33%	38%
Washington	48%	42%	40%	42%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Oregon and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Oregon schools reported a graduation rate of 68.7 percent, second lowest in the country in 2013.

In Oregon, more students took the SAT than the ACT, earning an average SAT score of 1539.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Oregon	68.7%	Fifth	21.5	34%	1539	49%
California	80.4%	Third	22.2	26%	1505	57%
Idaho	N/A	N/A	22.1	49%	1364	99%
Washington	76.4%	Fourth	22.8	21%	1537	60%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Oregon was lower than the national average at 3.2 percent in the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout rate was higher than the national average at 3.4 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Oregon

School choice options in Oregon included charter schools, inter-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. In addition, about 8.62 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Oregon is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Oregon state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Oregon spent approximately 14.3 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. Oregon spent the smallest percentage of its total budget on public education when compared to its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Oregon	14.3%	$9,543	7.8%	50.5%	41.7%
California	21.4%	$9,220	11.8%	52.9%	35.3%
Idaho	24.2%	$6,791	11.8%	63.4%	24.7%
Washington	23.4%	$9,672	8.6%	58.9%	32.5%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In Oregon, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding during fiscal year 2013, at $3 billion. Oregon reported the second lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Oregon	$471,682	$3,041,825	$2,508,173	$6,021,680
California	$7,836,263	$35,141,208	$23,468,448	$66,445,919
Idaho	$238,656	$1,278,155	$498,783	$2,015,594
Washington	$1,042,200	$7,160,395	$3,947,651	$12,150,246
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Oregon totaled approximately $6.2 billion in fiscal year 2012. Oregon reported the second lowest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Oregon	$5,389,273	$448,212	$341,375	$6,178,860
California	$57,975,189	$6,693,286	$3,264,820	$67,933,295
Idaho	$1,854,556	$135,343	$62,396	$2,052,295
Washington	$10,054,077	$1,545,989	$452,833	$12,052,898
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Oregon, the average salary increased by 1.6 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Oregon	$57,856	$58,948	$58,302	$58,758	1.6%
California	$65,159	$72,803	$69,672	$69,324	6.4%
Idaho	$48,578	$49,404	$49,359	$49,734	2.4%
Washington	$56,089	$56,578	$53,101	$53,571	-4.5%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Oregon Department of Education

The mission statement of the Oregon Department of Education reads:

“

The Oregon Department of Education fosters excellence for every learner through innovation, collaboration, leadership, and service to our education partners.

”

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is the chief administrative officer of the Department of Education. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is appointed by the governor. Rob Saxton was appointed to the position in 2012.

The State Board of Education oversees public education in the state. The board is composed of seven members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate. Members are appointed to four-year terms and can serve no more than two consecutive terms. Five members are selected from the state's congressional districts and two members are selected to represent the state at-large.

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Oregon ranked second overall for union power and influence, or "strongest," which was in the first of five tiers.

The main unions related to the Oregon school system are the Oregon Education Association (OEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and AFT Oregon, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. For the 2003 tax period OEA had $18.85 million in total revenue, $16.32 million in total expenses and $34.59 million in total assets. For the 2003 tax period AFT Oregon had: $1.25 million in total revenue, $1.30 million in total expenses and $858,259 in total assets.

List of local Oregon school unions:

• Oregon Education Association
• AFT Oregon
• AFT Clackamas
• AFT Tigard (dead link)
• AFT Portland
• AFT Eugene
• AFT Hillsboro

Government sector lobbying

See also: Oregon government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Oregon School Boards Association.

Transparency

In February 2009, a group of 27 legislators introduced a bill, the "Open Books Oregon Project," that required the state to create a searchable transparency website by January 1, 2010.The bill was approved by both the House and the Senate. The governor signed the bill on July 28, 2009.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Oregon received a score of 74.6, or a C average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "transitions and alignment" at 85.7, or a B average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 63.5, or a D average. Oregon had the lowest score in the "K-12 achievement" category when compared to surrounding states. The chart below displays the scores of Oregon and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Oregon	74.6 (C)	64.8 (D)	80.1 (B-)	63.5 (D)	71.0 (C-)	85.7 (B)
California	72.4 (C-)	67.8 (D+)	92.8 (A)	71.6 (C-)	69.2 (D+)	82.1 (B-)
Idaho	74.2 (C)	69.8 (C-)	86.6 (B+)	60.5 (D-)	60.0 (D-)	71.4 (C-)
Washington	79.5 (B-)	74.9 (C)	79.1 (C+)	71.4 (C-)	71.6 (C-)	71.4 (C-)
United States	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Oregon has three types of school districts: common school districts, joint school districts and union high school districts. All school districts are governed by an elected school board that has the power to levy taxes and issue general obligation bonds with voter approval.

School board composition

School board members in Oregon are elected to office by residents of the school district, either by geographic zone or at-large. School boards can have a total of five or seven members, but if the school district has a population of more than 300,000, the school board must have seven members. School board members serve four-year terms.

Term limits

Oregon does not impose statewide term limits on school boards.

Elections

See also: Oregon school board elections, 2024

No Oregon school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.

Path to the ballot

In order to qualify to be a school board candidate in Oregon, an individual must:

• Not be an employee of the school district the candidate seeks to represent
• Be a registered voter of the school district the candidate seeks to represent for at least one year immediately preceding the election.

To get on the ballot, school board candidates must file a petition and a declaration of candidacy. The petition must be signed by registered voters of the school district the candidate seeks to represent, and if the candidate is seeking a seat elected by geographic zone, the petition must be signed by registered voters in that geographic zone.

Campaign finance

School board candidates who do not intend to spend or receive more than $750 for the calendar year, including personal funds, do not have to file campaign finance reports. If candidates do not intend to spend or receive more than $3,500 for the calendar year, including personal funds, they must only file a Statement of Organization, a campaign account information form and a Certificate of Limited Contributions and Expenditures. Those expecting to receive or spend more than $3,500 must file a Statement of Organization, a campaign account information form and file all campaign finance transactions electronically. Candidates who are required to file a Statement of Organization must do so within three days of receiving a contribution or making an expenditure after filing for office.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Oregon state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Oregon ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Oregon Measure 58, Public School English Immersion Initiative (2008)
2. Oregon Measure Nos. 314-315, Require Children to Attend Public School Initiative (1922)
3. Oregon Measure 60, Performance-Based Teachers Pay Initiative (2008)
4. Oregon Measure 1, Public School Funding and Equalization Initiative (2000)
5. Oregon Measure 95, Student Learning as Determinate of Teacher Pay Initiative (2000)
6. Oregon Measure Nos. 320-321, School District Reorganization Referendum (1952)
7. Oregon Measure Nos. 308-309, Sales Tax Increase for Education Referendum (May 1934)
8. Oregon Funding for Psychiatric Hospitals, Schools and Prisons, Measure 1 (June 1906)
9. Oregon Measure 42, Standardized Testing of Public School Students Initiative (1996)
10. Oregon Measure 15, Maintain Funding for Schools and Community Colleges Initiative (1994)
11. Oregon Measure 9, Prohibition of Public School Instruction on Homosexual Behaviors Initiative (2000)
12. Oregon Measure Nos. 314-315, $125,000 for the University of Oregon Referendum (June 1908)
13. Oregon Measure Nos. 318-319, State Normal School at Monmouth Initiative (1910)
14. Oregon Measure Nos. 336-337, State Normal School at Weston Initiative (1910)
15. Oregon Measure Nos. 340-341, State Normal School at Ashland Initiative (1910)
16. Oregon Fund for Post-Secondary Education, Measure 86 (2014)
17. Oregon Measure Nos. 320-321, Board of Regents Initiative (1912)
18. Oregon Measure Nos. 300-301, State University Repair Fund Referendum (1913)
19. Oregon Measure Nos. 302-303, University of Oregon Building Appropriations Referendum (1913)
20. Oregon Measure Nos. 308-309, State Normal School at Pendleton Initiative (1916)
21. Oregon Measure Nos. 312-313, Vaccination Requirement Removal Initiative (1920)
22. Oregon Measure Nos. 316-317, Consolidating and Moving Public Higher Education Institutions Initiative (1932)
23. Oregon Measure Nos. 306-307, Authorization of College Student Activity Fees Referendum (January 1936)
24. Oregon Measure Nos. 308-309, Remove Military Service Requirements for College Degrees Initiative (1936)
25. Oregon Measure Nos. 312-313, Distribution of Surplus Tax Revenues to School Districts Initiative (1942)
26. Oregon Measure Nos. 314-315, Tax Revenues for Public School Fund Initiative (1944)
27. Oregon Measure Nos. 316-317, Tax for School Support Fund Initiative (1946)
28. Oregon Measure 10, Repeal of School District Reorganization Initiative (1962)
29. Oregon Measure 10, New Property Tax Bases for Schools Initiative (1970)
30. Oregon Measure 9, Prohibition of Property Taxes for Education Initiative (1972)
31. Oregon Hiring of State Judges by National Guard and State Universities, Measure 87 (2014)
32. Oregon Outdoor School Lottery Fund, Measure 99 (2016)
33. Oregon Measure Nos. 308-309, Qualifications to Vote in School Elections Initiative (1948)
34. Oregon Measure Nos. 358-359, Freight Rate Regulations Initiative (1912)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Oregon education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Oregon - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in Oregon
• Oregon state budget and finances
• Oregon Department of Education
• List of school districts in Oregon
• School choice in Oregon
• Charter schools in Oregon
• Oregon
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Oregon Department of Education
  • Charter schools
  • Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) archives
  • School report cards
  • Statewide assessment reference pages
  • Achievement/performance standards
  • Funding
• Oregon State Board of Education
• Oregon State Board of Higher Education
• Oregon Virtual School District