Original Research by School Decision on Camas High School
Camas High School sits in a city that has remade itself. Once defined by a single paper mill, Camas now anchors a mix of high-tech firms, financial services, and a historic downtown, and the high school’s enrollment has grown to a very large size for a single high school. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Asian population and smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, Black, and other groups. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The community is affluent relative to the national picture, and the housing market carries a high cost of entry, reflecting strong demand in this Portland-metro suburb.
Academically, the school posts high marks on state assessments. English language arts proficiency is very strong, science proficiency is solid, and math proficiency is above the midpoint among tested subjects. These figures come from a single year of available data, so there is no trend to examine, but the snapshot suggests that most students are performing well. The school serves only high school grades, so there is no elementary or middle school test data to consider. A graduation rate was not available in the data provided, which is a gap worth noting; a parent may want to confirm this metric with the school or district.
The district has faced recent financial headwinds that affect what happens inside the building. Voters passed an operational levy in early 2024, which funds day-to-day operations like staffing, safety, and extracurriculars through 2027, but by a narrow margin. That same election saw a construction bond fail, and a revised bond also failed in 2025. Without bond funding, planned projects including additions and renovations at this high school remain unbuilt, and the district expects enrollment growth that will keep pressure on existing capacity. A parent who values stable facility investment may want to ask the school or district about current conditions and whether any interim solutions are underway.
The school is categorized as a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. It is not a Title I school. Data on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance were not available, so no picture of those dimensions can be drawn from this record. Civil rights data were also absent. A parent with specific questions about safety, course offerings, teacher experience, or student support should direct those to the school.
The community context matters here. Camas has a distinct downtown with brick buildings and a civic core, but schools sit on separated campuses. This high school takes its sports nickname from the old paper mill, a nod to the city’s industrial roots. The shift from a mill economy to one led by Fisher Investments, semiconductor manufacturing, and other high-tech employers has reshaped the city’s economic base and drawn in families who work in these sectors. The population has grown rapidly over the past two decades, though the pace of new housing development was not detailed in the available information. The planned demolition of the paper mill, expected to finish by 2027, will convert that site into waterfront and expanded downtown space, extending the redevelopment already underway.
For a family considering this school, the academic picture is strong where data exists, particularly in English and science. The math proficiency is lower but still at a reasonable level. The biggest practical considerations may be the high cost of housing, the very large student body, and the fact that the district has been unable to pass a construction bond despite two attempts. That last point is not a judgment on the quality of instruction, but a reality about the physical plant and capacity that a parent would want to understand before enrolling. The school appears to serve a community that is economically upscale, professionally oriented, and dealing with the growing pains of rapid expansion and an evolving industrial identity.
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