Since 2012, OPB has followed a group of students who started kindergarten together at the same Southeast Portland elementary school.

The Class of 2025 is a 13-year reporting project in response to a statewide goal that 100% of Oregon students graduate high school, starting in 2025.

And last week, a number of the students in OPB’s Class of 2025 started their senior year.

As the students head into their last year of high school, the future is coming into focus. The teenagers are at a crossroads — looking back at years of schooling, while wrestling with questions about what comes next.

But to get to graduation, students first need to get through the year.

At David Douglas High School in Southeast Portland, the first day started with a foggy sunrise.

First ‘last day’

David Douglas seniors were invited to show up early to sit on the football field and watch the sunrise.

But it was a typical early morning in Portland: the sun was nowhere to be seen.

“We’re probably not going to see it because it’s really cloudy,” said Class of 2025 student Ava, “but I don’t care — I just really want to be here.”

“I came here for the free doughnuts honestly,” Dude said, standing near his friends in the middle of the football field.

“I can’t wait to get the year over with, I can’t wait to go through the year, but I’m ready to be done.”

At Senior Sunrise, Jennifer Buscher — in her first year as David Douglas’s principal — greeted the group of 50 or so students at the event.

“This year is going to go by really, really fast,” Buscher said. “So don’t miss an opportunity to go to a dance, go to a game and watch your friends, say hi to your friends in the hallways, do all those little things because this year is going to fly by.”

Ava got up at 4:30 in the morning on the first day of senior year. She said she was nervous at first, but the nerves turned to excitement as she got to school.

This year, she’ll continue taking choir. But she will also get to try something new: directing other students in a one-act play.

“I mainly am just so excited for all the senior exclusive events — senior photos, senior solos,” Ava shared.

“I’m also in the musical, so I get to give a senior speech, which — I’m going to cry and it’s going to be really sad, but I’m excited.”

After about an hour on the football field, the seniors packed up and headed to the first classes of the day. Students crowded the halls and navigated around construction in between the school’s north and south buildings.

In most classes, the Class of 2025 students sat and listened to teachers introducing themselves and the plan for the year. In one choir class, students stood on risers singing new songs for the first time.

“I feel panicked,” Class of 2025 student Anais said with a laugh.

Her schedule changed — and she didn’t know it until she got to school. She said she got lost trying to find the right class in the wrong building. From there, she hoofed it to the other end of David Douglas’ large campus and showed up late to her first class of senior year.

“I already want to go home,” she said at lunch.

Classmate Anna, fresh off of a family vacation, also had a few tasks to complete on the first day, from picking up her schedule to paying fees for driver education classes. Though her school day started with a study hall, she’s got a heavy course load for senior year.

“I’m taking two AP [advanced placement] classes this year, which I’m kind of nervous for,” she said.

At lunch, Class of 2025 students Josh and Joel stood with their friends in the cafeteria. They’ve been standing in the same spot at lunch for most of high school.

“I’m still stuck on how fast that went by,” Josh said.

“It’s kind of funny seeing like all the freshmen all nervous and stuff,” Joel added. “I was like, ‘Oh I was nervous too when I was a freshman.’”

Managing more than school and homework

Class of 2025 student Ali attended summer school and caught up on missed classes. She said she’s back on track to graduate this year.

“I feel good, but I’m dreading going to school every day,” she said at the Senior Sunrise event.

“But it’s okay, I’ve got it.”

Like other students in the Class of 2025, Ali has an after-school job in addition to her schoolwork. Depending on their schedules, some students are able to leave school early or arrive at school late.

“I get to go home with early release,” Ali said. “And then I take a nap, and then I go to work.”

Ali says she’s on track to graduate this year. That’s the case for a majority of students at David Douglas, said assistant principal Rolando Florez.

“The bulk of our kids are cruising to graduation,” Florez said, “meaning that they have more than 18 credits, their GPA is healthy, and they’re focusing on social studies and English.”

Oregon requires 24 credits to graduate, so students with 18 at the end of their junior year have completed three-quarters of that requirement and can be considered on track.

Florez is one of several assistant principals at David Douglas. One thing he focuses on is senior tracking: monitoring where students are on the path to graduation.

Florez says about 75 to 80% of David Douglas seniors have hit that critical mark of 18 of the 24 credits.

For other students, the road to graduation might be a little tougher.

“We have some kids who have 16 total credits but may be missing more than one math credit … more than one language arts credit,” he said.

Other students might need even more credits — which requires taking recovery classes after school. If students need more than half of the credits required for graduation, they may be referred to Fir Ridge, David Douglas’ alternative campus. Students might also work with counselors on plans for a fifth year of high school.

“Some kids have surprised us and rallied and gotten 16 credits in a year,” Florez said. “The typical student earns 8 credits in a school year.”

The support David Douglas staff offers each student varies — and what students need can vary based on what they’re juggling outside of school.

“One word that we use a lot in the grad center is that the students are ‘adulting’ and that means that they are managing a workload, school load, life load that mirrors some of the adults that we know,” Florez said.

“Many of our students aren’t necessarily just going to school and just doing homework.”

On top of juggling school and life, some Class of 2025 students are starting to think about college.

“I really want to get into UCSD [University of California San Diego], because that’s where my sister is, so if I do get in, I’ll probably go down and live with her,” said 2025 student Austin.

“It’s really nice down there … I want to major in economics.”