FILE: Students walk along the breezeway at David Douglas High School in southeast Portland in the fall of 2021. About half of the students in OPB's Class Of 2025 project attend David Douglas, the largest high school in the state.
Kate McMahon/video still/OPB / OPB
Over a decade ago, former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber announced an aspirational goal to improve the state’s low-ranking high school graduation rate. His mission: a 100% graduation by 2025.
If successful, Oregon would catapult its rock-bottom national ranking to the top. It was a very ambitious goal. And so back in 2012 — when “Call Me Maybe” was the song you heard everywhere — OPB set out on a very ambitious goal too. We decided to document the stories of a kindergarten class on their journey all the way through high school.
Now, the 27 students we met when they were 6 years old are all on different paths, one student is even graduating early. But most are about to enter their senior year of high school in the fall. Education reporter Elizabeth Miller has been following the class of 2025 for years, and she gives us a window into their lives.
Listen to all episodes of The Evergreen podcast here.