Jesuit High School (Beaverton, Oregon)


Jesuit High School is a Catholic high school in Beaverton outside Portland, Oregon, United States, in the Archdiocese of Portland. It was founded by the Oregon Province, Society of Jesus, in 1956 and uses a Jesuit, college-preparatory curriculum. It is coeducational and enrolls approximately 1,300 students of all faiths.

History

The school was the 43rd Jesuit high school to be established in the United States. Though it was not finally established until 1956, the process of founding a Jesuit high school in Portland began in 1907, when property was purchased by the parish of St. Ignatius and set aside for a future high school. A lay appeal to the Jesuit Provincial for a high school in 1929 came to nothing. In 1954 the Holy Cross Fathers of Portland announced the closing of Columbia Prep and a plan for the Jesuits to take over the premises was discussed, but again dropped. Finally in 1955 the Jesuit Provincial Superior was asked by the Archbishop to set up a school. Hillsdale Dairy Farm, a plot to the west, some 15 minutes drive from downtown Portland, was purchased for $165,000. Jesuit and Holy Cross priests raised pledges of $117,000 by Wednesday of the first week of a fund-raising campaign in churches, and hundreds of thousands more by door-to-door canvassing. Jesuit High School opened for freshmen boys on September 10, 1956 and girls have been admitted since 1993.

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 1,280 students enrolled in 2013-14 was:
Jesuit High School has been accredited through Northwest Accreditation Commission since 1961.
In 1989 and 1998, Jesuit High School was honored in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States.

Sports

On June 20, 2007, Sports Illustrated rated Jesuit the number one high school athletic program in the nation, citing success both on and off the field.
In the 2005-2006 academic year, Jesuit won seven state championships in various sports and activities. Jesuit High School has won the Oregon 4A All Sports Award 13 years in a row, and has received the Oregonian Cup five times.

Notable alumni