Type Public Grades 9-12 Mascot Warriors Number of students 1,553 | Principal Tammy O'neil Phone +1 503-916-5120 District Portland Public Schools Color Kelly green and yellow | |
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Opened 1929 (as Commerce High School)
1948 (as Cleveland High School) School district Portland Public Schools Athletics conference OSAA Portland Interscholastic League 6A-1 Address 3400 SE 26th Ave, Portland, OR 97202, USA Similar Benson Polytechnic High Sch, Hosford Middle School, David Douglas High Sch, Parkrose High School, Central Catholic High Sch Profiles | ||
'President Grover Cleveland High School, '(colloquially 'Cleveland High School'), is a public high school in inner southeast Portland, Oregon, United States and is part of the Portland Public Schools district.
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This school is one of Portland's two high schools with the International Baccalaureate program. It is also one of the two high schools in the Portland Public School District to receive an A on its government "Report Card," based on its students' test and SAT scores.
History
Cleveland was originally known as Clinton Kelly High School of Commerce and was a trades school. It was designed by the architect George Howell Jones. As a result of the baby boom and the passing of a $25 million building levy by the school district in 1947, an "athletic field house" was slated. Commerce was turned into a comprehensive high school in fall 1948 and renamed Grover Cleveland High School. Science labs were also added at this time.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the school district faced declining enrollment, and targeted Cleveland for closure. The CHS property was made up of two parcels: the school building site and the athletic field, originally the site of the Clinton Kelly home. Clinton Kelly, an early Portland settler and minister, specified that the property was to be used solely for a public school. If the property was used for any other purpose, or put up for sale, the property would revert to the Kelly estate, and to the living heirs of Clinton Kelly. The school district ultimately decided to close Washington-Monroe High School instead, and keep Cleveland open.
During 1990 and 1991 the school auditorium was equipped with a large theater pipe organ. The instrument was removed from Benson High School near the Lloyd Center, enlarged, and installed in the Cleveland Auditorium by the Oregon Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, which maintains it and presents events open to the public.
In 2005, Cleveland High School was the setting for the music video for 16 Military Wives by local indie rock band The Decemberists.
Student profile
The student population is 71% white, 8% Latino, 9% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 5% African American. In 2009-2010 the school was locally known for "an incredibly vocal, motivated and organized parent community".
In 2008, 85% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 310 students, 262 graduated, 26 dropped out, 9 received a modified diploma, and 13 are still in high school. In 2009, 28% of Cleveland students were transfers into the school.