The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Evergreen Jr High School
Evergreen Jr High School serves seventh and eighth graders in Hillsboro, within the Hillsboro School District. The school is a regular public school that is not a charter or magnet. Its enrollment is large for a two-grade middle school, with nearly equal numbers in each grade. The student body is mixed: over two-fifths of students are white, a slightly larger share are Hispanic, and there are smaller populations of students who are multiracial, Asian, and Black. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a school serving many families with lower household incomes.
On state assessments, Evergreen’s proficiency rates sit below what many families would hope to see. In both seventh and eighth grade math, roughly a quarter to a third of students met the state’s proficiency standard. In English language arts, about a third of seventh graders and a similar share of eighth graders were proficient. Science, tested only in eighth grade, showed roughly a quarter of students proficient. When compared across all districts in Washington County, Evergreen’s combined performance across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile. These figures represent a single year’s results, and the school did not have prior-year data in the same assessment format to compare against, so it is not possible to determine whether performance is improving or declining.
Hillsboro, the city where the school is located, is a fast-growing suburban city that has transformed from a small agricultural town into a major employment center. It is home to large corporate campuses for Intel, Nike, and Genentech, and it has a historic downtown with cultural venues and a weekly farmers’ market. The city’s growth over the past several decades has been steady, and new housing and commercial development continue. The MAX Blue Line light rail connects Hillsboro to Portland, and the Rock Creek Trail provides a bike and pedestrian route through the area. Walkable pockets exist downtown and at Orenco Station, but much of the city is laid out on wide suburban arterials.
The Hillsboro School District, the fourth-largest in Oregon, recently completed major capital projects funded by a bond measure. These included the opening of Atfalati Ridge Elementary and the replacement of Brookwood Elementary, modernizing learning environments and adding capacity. The district adopted a 2023-2027 strategic plan focused on maximizing the student experience and preparing students for post-secondary success and civic life.
Housing in the area around the school carries a notable price tag. Home values and rents in the local ZIP code are above the Oregon statewide average, though both showed a modest decline year over year. This is a market where buying is distinctly more expensive than renting on a monthly basis. A family considering the area should weigh these costs against the school’s academic results.
Evergreen Jr High is a school where a parent will want to look closely at the academic support available. The proficiency numbers are low enough to warrant asking what interventions, tutoring, or accelerated programs the school offers, and how the school is working to move scores upward. The student body is economically diverse, the school is large enough to offer a range of activities, and the surrounding city offers strong employment and amenities. But the core academic picture is the most important thing to investigate further.
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