needs to learn using varied learning styles. At
the high school level, students learn real-world
work skills though hands-on career technical
programs like metals, woods, and agriculture.
The Forest Grove area is located 25 miles west
of downtown Portland in the Tualatin Valley
area. Originally a small farm town in the late
19th century, it is now mainly a suburb of the
city of Portland, with Tuality Forest Grove
Hospital as one of the larger local employers.
Gaston School District
300 Park Street, Gaston, OR 97119
503-985-0210; www.gaston.k12.or.us
Gaston School District is a public school
located in the town of Gaston on the southwest edge of Washington County. The first
Gaston School was started in 1866. There
are over 550 students in grades kindergarten
through 12th located on one campus with
multiple buildings. To fulfill the district’s
vision of making a “positive difference in
the lives of children,” Gaston School District
offers a full range of athletic, academic, and
social opportunities. As a community, the
Gaston community works together to help
students succeed. Gaston is located 30 miles
west of downtown Portland and 50 miles east
of Tillamook State Forest. Gaston School
District participates in open enrollment,
which allows students to attend the school
district of their choice, providing the school
chooses to participate in open enrollment.
Hillsboro School District
3083 Northeast 49th Place
Hillsboro, OR 97124
503-844-1500; www. hsd.k12.or.us
The Hillsboro School District encompasses
26 elementary schools, four middle schools,
and four high schools: Century, Glencoe,
Hillsboro (Hilhi), and Liberty. Founded
in 1851, the school district covers Hills-
boro, North Plains and parts of Cornelius,
Aloha, Sherwood and surrounding commu-
nities. Total enrollment is nearly 21,000
students, which makes it the fourth largest
in the State. Hillsboro School District has
a new approach to preparing its students
for college and careers, called “Pathways”,
which ensures that students are aware,
eligible, and prepared for their choices after
high school and beyond. The district touts a
strong robotics program at all grade levels,
and a STEM/STEAM focus at four of
its elementary schools and STEM-related
programming at several additional schools.
Hillsboro is located 16 miles southwest of
downtown Portland, and is the 5th largest
city in the state of Oregon with a population
of over 91,000 people. A top employer in
the Hillsboro area is technology giant Intel.
Sherwood School District
23295 SW Main Street, Sherwood, OR 97140
503-825-5000; www.sherwood.k12.or.us
The Sherwood School District is located in the
southeast corner of Washington County. The
district currently has four elementary schools,
two middle schools, and one high school.
Sherwood School District has a student
population of over 5,000 with steady growth
estimated for future years. Recently, Sherwood Schools received an Overall State Rating
of either Level 4 or a Level 5, based on a 1 to 5
scale. The school district is experiencing a large
influx of student enrollment recently, and has
made managing that growth a priority. First
incorporated in 1893, the town of Sherwood
now has over 18,000 residents. Nestled in the
Tualatin Valley area and only 17 miles from
downtown Portland; Sherwood holds a small
town friendly charm with an easy commute to
the big city when needed.
Tigard-Tualatin School District
6960 SW Sandburg Street, Tigard, OR 97223
503-431-4000; www.ttsdschools.org
The Tigard-Tualatin School District serves
part of the suburban Portland metropolitan
area including the cities of Tigard, Tualatin,
Durham, and King City, as well as the unincorporated communities of Metzger and Bull
Mountain. Tigard Elementary School District
was established in 1875, while the Tualatin
district was started as the Bridgeport district.
Tigard-Tualatin students regularly outperform their peers across Oregon in nearly every
grade level in reading, math and science.
Tigard-Tualatin School District has devel-
oped a strong foundation of student access to
technology and supported the integration of
technology as a teaching tool across the curric-
ulum. The Tigard-Tualatin area borders the
southwest Portland area and contains many
large employers including Lam Research
which houses a 58 acre campus with a total of
700 employees.
YAMHILL COUNTY
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
McMinnville School District
1500 NE Baker Street
McMinnville, OR 97128
503-565-4000; www.msd.k12.or.us
McMinnville School District covers Yamhill
County. It provides primary and secondary
education for the cities of McMinnville
and Lafayette. McMinnville School District
includes nine schools, with approximately
700 employees and over 6,600 students in six
elementary schools, two middle schools, and
one high school. McMinnville High School
has two satellite campuses: Cook Alternative
School and Aerospace Sciences Academy
(ASA). Teachers in the McMinnville School
District average over 13 years of teaching
experience. McMinnville is the county seat
and largest city of Yamhill County. McMinnville is located at the junction of the North
and South Forks of the Yamhill River in the
Willamette Valley. McMinnville is included
in the Portland metropolitan area, and is
located 35 miles southwest of Portland. It is
also known as the home to Linfield College
and the Evergreen Aviation Museum.
Newberg School District
714 East 6th Street, Newberg, OR 97132
503-554-5000; www.newberg.k12.or.us
Newberg is located 24 miles south of downtown Portland and is home to George Fox
University. Newberg School District includes
six elementary schools, two middle schools
and four high schools along with an alternative school. Approximately 5, 100 students
are enrolled each year throughout the district
including over 500 teachers and support
staff. Elementary students take music classes
weekly, and the Community School provides
enrichment activities for the community, and
students of all ages. Newberg is known as
the “gateway to Oregon wine country” and
includes more than 90 wineries throughout
the valley. As of the 2010 census, the city
population was 22, 110. l
