David Douglas High School

David Douglas High School (DDHS) is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the David Douglas School District. DDHS is the largest high school in the state of Oregon. Its attendance boundary includes eastern Portland. In 1998 Lynn Olson, author of The School-to-work Revolution: How Employers And Educators Are Joining Forces To Prepare Tomorrow's Skilled Workforce, said that David Douglas was "a clean, orderly, comfortable school, the kind that sprouted up all over the country in the baby boom years of the 1950s and 1960s." History The school is named after 19th-century Scottish botanist David Douglas, namesake of such Pacific Northwest species as the Douglas fir. Originally established in 1954, enrollment at DDHS increased quickly in subsequent years as development in suburban Portland expanded, eventually becoming one of the largest high schools in the area. In 2009 around 20 students at David Douglas, all a part of the East Precinct Youth Advisory Council, created a traffic enforcement mission at the campus in cooperation with the Portland Police Department east precinct. Music Program David Douglas High School in Portland has a strong tradition of excellence in the performing arts, consistently earning top honors at state competitions in band, choir, orchestra, and theater. In theater, the school achieved notable success at the 2025 Oregon State Thespian Festival, with students winning first place in solo acting, second place in the tech challenge team, and receiving superior ratings for their student-directed one-act play The Nine Worst Breakups of All Time. The theater program is also recognized for creative set design and was honored with Michael Givler being named Oregon Theater Teacher of the Year. The choir program earned first place at the 2022 OSAA State Choir Championships with their Troubadours ensemble, maintaining consistently high scores. The orchestra placed second in the 2022 OSAA State Orchestra Championships with strong performances from both the full orchestra and symphonic strings. Meanwhile, the band secured third place in the 2022 OSAA State Band Championships, with individual soloists earning top rankings in clarinet, tuba, and euphonium categories. Beyond competitions, David Douglas High School’s music programs have been recognized nationally, receiving the Grammy Awards Signature Schools Award and being named one of the Best Communities for Music Education by NAMM 13 times, underscoring the school’s dedication to arts education and student achievement. Campus The school has eight buildings. The first, referred to as the North Building, is dedicated to academic courses. Second is the South Building, a place for vocational fine arts. Next to the North is the pool building where health and financial classes are taught, along with a few strays. The social studies building was opened in 2007. The PAC is across from the South Building, and is where music and theatre courses are held, along with two theatres. One is a standard stadium seating theatre and the other, downstairs, is referred to as the "black box theatre". The East Campus is where the public and students with children are offered daycare. This provides the tools for child development classes. East Campus is several blocks away from the main building. David Douglas also has a garage for the automotives students located in the far corner of the parking lot behind the football stadium, though it has been replaced in usefulness. In 2026 the CTE building opened, which houses classes dedicated to special career paths like health sciences and automotives. The school is within a neighborhood that consists of small single-family houses. Academics In 2008, 67% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 748 students, 500 graduated, 141 dropped out, 19 received a modified diploma, and 88 were still in high school the following year. Project STARS In 1991 the school district introduced the Project STARS (Students Taking Authentic Routes to Success) "school-to-work" program after a survey concluded that, of the recent graduates of the school, 20% went on to four-year colleges. Anthony Palermini, the superintendent, said, "We were doing an excellent job of providing a well-rounded college prep education. But it wasn't relevant to 25 to 30 percent of our students." The program introduced students to various career fields. The Oregon Business Council, an organization representing forty chief executive officers from the largest companies in the state, partnered with the David Douglas district in implementing the program. In high school, students selected one of six 'constellations' for their elective concentrations. Each constellation requires a student to take a capstone course, related courses, job shadows, and work experience. The Oregon Business Council implemented committees, together with 12 members, to develop a business and administration certificate of advanced mastery and a production and technology certification of advanced mastery. In the fall of 1994 the district planned to begin offering courses in these areas, and planned to add four more certificates in the 1995–1996 school year. In 1994 the Associated Press referred to the David Douglas School District as "a leader in Oregon's movement toward more career-oriented schools" due to the school-to-work program courses. The AP added that "It may serve as a model for other districts as they forge new ties with the world of work." Demographics As of 2019, the school had 2,729 students. 716 9th grade students, 736 10th grade students, 660 11th grade students and 617 12th grade students. Of the 2,729 students 25.9% were Hispanic, .6% Native American, 18.6% Asian, 11.8% Black, 2% Pacific Islander, 34.7% White, and 6.3% Multi. 14% of students were on a reduced lunch program, and 55.5% were on a free lunch program totaling 69.5%. The Highlander The Highlander is published monthly by the Advanced Journalism class, and has a circulation of 2,000. It is printed by the Gresham Outlook. The Highlander has won the following awards: American Scholastic Press, First Place, 1995-2008 Northwest Scholastic Press, First Place, 1994–2000, 2002–2005, 2008 Awards and honors In 1996, David Douglas was honored as one of the ten original New American High Schools "showcase sites", serving as a model for other public schools around the nation, due in part to the David Douglas Model District Partnership and the "academic constellations" created through Project STARS (Students Taking Authentic Routes to Success). Sports State championships Boys' swimming: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, 2008 Girls' swimming: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 Dance team: 1983, 1995, 1997, 2000 Boys' baseball: 1977 Boys' basketball 1967 Football: 1960, 1965 Wrestling: 1961, 1966, 2013, (2023 individual victory) Track and field: 1973, 1977, 1987 Cheerleading: 2015, 2016, 2019 Notable alumni Bruce Abbott - actor Michelle Clunie - actress Samson Ebukam - Defensive End for the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL; 4th Round pick in the 2017 NFL draft Sam Elliott - actor Dennis Gassner - set designer John Jaha - baseball player Dana Libonati - Musician and Songwriter Members of the Band Sevryn Members of the band The Kingsmen Jeff Merkley - United States Senator Gary W. Martini - Medal of Honor U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War Barbara Niven - actress Osa Odighizuwa - Defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL Owamagbe Odighizuwa - Former NFL defensive end; 3rd Round pick in the 2015 NFL draft Kim M. Peyton-McDonald - Olympic gold medal swimmer, 1976 Summer Olympics Pete Pierson - Former NFL offensive tackle Lindsay Wagner - actress Claxton Welch - Former NFL running back, Super Bowl VI champion with the Dallas Cowboys. Juston Wood - Former professional quarterback and current offensive analyst for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Tonya Harding - Olympic Figure Skater References Olson, Lynn. The School-to-work Revolution: How Employers And Educators Are Joining Forces To Prepare Tomorrow's Skilled Workforce. Da Capo Press, August 28, 1998. ISBN 0738200298, 9780738200293. Notes [1] Archived 2019-11-06 at the Wayback Machine External links David Douglas High School