Original Research by School Decision on New Urban High School
New Urban High School serves grades nine through twelve in Milwaukie, a Portland suburb with a distinct small-town identity. The school is a regular public high school in the North Clackamas School District. The enrollment is small, with just over two hundred fifty students, and the grade distribution leans heavily toward upperclassmen, with the senior class significantly larger than the freshman class.
The student body is majority white, with a notable Hispanic presence making up roughly a quarter of the school. Asian, Black, and multiracial students each represent smaller shares. About three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places it below the district average for economic disadvantage. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available.
Academic performance is the central story here, and it is a difficult one. On the most recent state assessments, proficiency rates in English language arts, math, and science were all in the mid-teens. These are very low numbers, and a parent considering this school will want to understand why. The data only covers a single year, so there is no trend to examine. One possible explanation is the school's unusual enrollment pattern. With a very small freshman class and a large senior class, the school may serve students who transfer in later in their high school career, a dynamic that can affect aggregate test scores. But the data does not confirm that, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school.
No graduation rate was reported. For a high school, that is a significant gap. A parent should ask the school directly about its four-year graduation rate and what kind of support is in place for students to reach a diploma. Similarly, the comparison set that places the school relative to other districts in Clackamas County could not be applied because key metrics were missing, so New Urban High sits outside the normal comparative framework for the county.
Milwaukie itself is an established suburb with a walkable core, a light-rail connection to Portland, and a mix of residential neighborhoods. The city has seen little population growth in recent years, though there are plans for transit-oriented development near the MAX station. Housing values are above the national median, and rents have been rising faster than the national average, reflecting broader Portland-area pressures.
The North Clackamas district has seen notable changes. A large capital bond was defeated by voters in late 2024, leaving a substantial backlog of facility needs unfunded. The district has also shifted school start times district-wide, with high schools starting later beginning in the 2024-25 school year, a change that affects every family. A new elementary literacy curriculum based on the science of reading was adopted in 2023, though that applies to younger grades, not to New Urban High.
New Urban High School is a small, urban-suburban public high school in a stable community, but its academic results and missing graduation data are serious open questions. The school may serve a particular population or educational mission that is not captured in the usual metrics, but a family considering it will need direct conversations with the school to fill in the picture.
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