Sandy High School

{{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox school | name = Sandy High School | image = SandyHighSchoolFront.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = | address = 37400 Bell Street | city = Sandy, Oregon | county = (Clackamas County) | zipcode = 97055 | country = U.S. | coordinates = {{coord|45.406|-122.278|type:edu_source:googlemaps_region:US-OR|display=inline,title}} <!-- geocoded street address and centered on entrance --> | former_name = Sandy Union High School | type = Public | district = Oregon Trail S.D. | principal = Sarah Dorn | grades = 9{{en dash}}12 | enrollment = 1,420 (2024–2025)<ref name=NCES>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=4110890&ID=411089000149|title=Sandy High School|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=February 7, 2026}}</ref> | mascot = Pioneer Pete | mascot image = | ratio = 24.11<ref name=NCES/> | teaching_staff = 58.89 (FTE)<ref name=NCES/> | team_name = Pioneers | colors = {{color strip|border-color=black|border-style=dotted|border=1|black|crimson}} Black and crimson | newspaper = ''The Pioneer Press'' | yearbook = ''Meema'' | feeder_schools = {{unbulleted list|Boring Middle School|Cedar Ridge Middle School|Welches Middle School}} | opened = {{start date and age|1917}}<ref name=centennial/> | website = [http://oregontrailschools.com/shs/ Sandy High School] | pushpin_map = <!--Oregon--> | logo = | logo_size = }} '''Sandy High School''' ('''SHS''', formerly known as '''Sandy Union High School''')<ref>{{cite book|title=Oregon School Directory|page=151|publisher=Oregon Department of Education|year=1976|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JPFPAQAAMAAJ|via=Google Books}}</ref> is a public high school in the northwest United States, located in Sandy, Oregon, {{convert|30|mi|km}} east of Portland.<ref name=centennial>{{cite web|work=Portland Tribune|title=Sandy High School ready to celebrate 100 years|author=Allen, Brittany|date=March 1, 2017|access-date=April 3, 2018|url=https://portlandtribune.com/sp/68-news/347689-227172-sandy-high-school-ready-to-celebrate-100-years|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404200848/https://portlandtribune.com/sp/68-news/347689-227172-sandy-high-school-ready-to-celebrate-100-years|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hpbmagazine.org/content/uploads/2020/04/14Sp-Sandy-High-School-Sandy-OR.pdf|work=High Performance Buildings Magazine|title=Sustainable Gateway|author1=Waters, Jerry|author2=Butler, Brian|author3=Craig, Andrew|pages=38–49|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018193742/https://www.hpbmagazine.org/content/uploads/2020/04/14Sp-Sandy-High-School-Sandy-OR.pdf|archive-date=October 18, 2025|date=2014}}</ref> Originally located in a two-story schoolhouse in 1917, the high school was given its own standalone brick structure in 1923 to accommodate a growing student body as the Portland metropolitan area and surrounding cities expanded in population; that building is used now as Cedar Ridge Middle School.

The high school continued to expand throughout the 20th century, with numerous additions and exterior buildings being added to its campus (then located at 17100 Bluff Road). In 2008, voters approved an education bond enabling the construction of a new school building. The new building, constructed on a budget of $75 million, opened in September 2012, and features various updated and new technologies absent from the previous school, including a 500-seat auditorium, outdoor learning and vocational spaces, geothermal heating, and greywater recycling.<ref name="oreg-2012aug29">{{cite news|last=Fuggetta|first=Emily|title=Sandy invites community to preview bright, spacious new high school Sept. 7|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=August 29, 2012|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2012/08/sandy_invites_community_to_pre.html |access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>

Since 1997, Sandy High School has been operated by the Oregon Trail School District, and is the district's only high school.<ref name=guibord>{{cite news|last=Guibord|first=Garth|title=Ten years on the Trail|newspaper=The Sandy Post|date=June 27, 2007|url=http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=88612|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213035644/http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=88612|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 13, 2017|access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>

==History== Sandy Union High School<ref>{{cite news|work=The Oregon Daily Journal|location=Portland, Oregon|title=Cottrell District Vote Opposed to Union High School|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27269826/the_oregon_daily_journal/|date=June 23, 1920|via=Newspapers.com|page=9}}</ref> was formally established in 1917,<ref name=centennial/> with the first graduating class consisting of 12 students, all of whom were female.{{sfn|Bosserman|2015|pages=65–66}} Prior to this, in 1908, as the city of Sandy grew, a two-story schoolhouse had been established to accommodate students of all ages.{{sfn|Bosserman|2015|p=64}} By 1914, one room of the building's second floor was used exclusively for high school students.{{sfn|Bosserman|2015|p=64}}

thumb|upright=.9|left|Sandy Union High School pictured in 1948 A local district election was held in 1921 regarding the allocation of a bond of $30,000 to construct a new building, but voters opposed the bond.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27269903/the_oregon_daily_journal/|work=The Oregon Daily Journal|location=Portland, Oregon|title=Bonds of $30,000 For Building Union High School Lost|date=March 14, 1921|page=1|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> However, in 1923, the bond was approved, and a two-story 12-classroom brick structure known as the Pioneer Building, was constructed for $30,000 ({{Inflation|US|30000|1923|fmt=eq}}).{{sfn|Bosserman|2015|p=64}} It also contained a main office, a small gymnasium, and an assembly hall and stage.{{sfn|Bosserman|2015|p=64}} Following the passing of the Smith–Hughes Act, home economics and agriculture were added to the school's curriculum in 1926.{{sfn|Bosserman|2015|p=69}} In 1936, a second building was added to the campus in 1936 with funds donated by Ed and August Bruns.{{sfn|Bosserman|2015|p=64}}

{{multiple image | align = | direction = horizontal | header = | header_align = right | header_background = | footer = | footer_align = right | footer_background = | width = | image1 = Sandy Union High School boys' basketball 1917.png | width1 = 152 | alt1 = | caption1 = Boys' basketball team, 1917 | image2 = Sandy Union High School girls' championship, 1917.png | width2 = 146 | alt2 = | caption2 = Girls' championship basketball team, 1917 }}

Over the ensuing decades, exterior buildings and additions to the original brick structure were constructed to accommodate the increasing student body; the school was noted in 2006 for implementing a 32-camera surveillance system to ensure safety given the campus's numerous disconnected buildings.<ref>{{cite book|title=Violence in America's Schools: Understanding, Prevention, and Responses|author=Thomas, Robert Murray|page=[https://archive.org/details/violenceinameric0000thom/page/45 45]|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2006|isbn=978-0-275-99329-0|url=https://archive.org/details/violenceinameric0000thom/page/45}}</ref> In 1984, the school implemented an integrated environmental science vocational program, which proved to be highly successful.<ref>{{cite book|title=Integration of Academic and Vocational-Technical Education: An Administrator's Guide|year=1987|page=101|publisher=American Association for Vocational Instructional Materials|author=National Center for Research in Vocational Education (U.S.), Consortium for the Development of Professional Materials for Vocational Education|isbn=978-0-896-06241-2}}</ref> In 1997, operations of the high school were taken over by the then-newly formed Oregon Trail School District.<ref name="guibord" />

In 2008, voters approved a $115-million education bond for Clackamas County, $75 million of which was sequestered to use for constructing a new high school.<ref name=oreg-2012aug29/> In September 2012,<ref name="oreg-2012sep6">{{cite news|last=Hottman|first=Sara|title=Grand openings for Sandy High School and Troutdale Police facility on Friday|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=September 6, 2012|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2012/09/grand_openings_for_sandy_high.html |access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref> the school was officially relocated from its original location to the new campus, with the fall 2012 student body being the first to occupy the new school.<ref name=oreg-2012aug29/> The new school building is double the size of the previous one, with a performing arts center, 585-seat auditorium, career and technical education pod, and outdoor environmental learning area.<ref name=oreg-2012aug29/> It also utilizes geothermal heating and greywater recycling.<ref name=oreg-2012aug29/><ref>{{cite web|work=Hoffman Construction Company|url=http://www.hoffmancorp.com/project-details/sandy-high-school/|title=Project Details: Sandy High School|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>

As of 2017, the Oregon Trail School district was undertaking renovations on the former high school building with plans to use it as a new location for Cedar Ridge Middle School.<ref>{{cite news|work=Portland Tribune|url=https://portlandtribune.com/sp/68-news/366744-248145-new-cedar-ridge-middle-school-renovations-are-well-underway|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404201009/https://portlandtribune.com/sp/68-news/366744-248145-new-cedar-ridge-middle-school-renovations-are-well-underway|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 4, 2018|title=New Cedar Ridge Middle School renovations are well underway|author=Allen, Brittany|date=July 19, 2017|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>

==Student body== According to the ''U.S. News & World Report'', the student body of Sandy High School was 74.3% white, 17.2% Hispanic, 0.4% American Native or Alaskan Native, 0.4% African American, 1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 5.9% two or more races.<ref name=usnewsstudent>{{cite web|work=U.S. News & World Report|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/oregon/districts/oregon-trail-sd-46/sandy-high-school-16644/student-body|title=Sandy High School: Student Body|access-date=October 18, 2025}}</ref> 48% of the student body was female, with 52% male.<ref name=usnewsstudent/> The school has a student-teacher ratio of 27:1.<ref name=usnews>{{cite web|work=U.S. News & World Report|title=Sandy High School|access-date=October 18, 2025|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/oregon/districts/oregon-trail-sd-46/sandy-high-school-16644}}</ref>

Sandy High School's student body is primarily made up of residents along the Mount Hood Corridor, a route connecting the Portland metropolitan area with the recreational facilities on Mount Hood, and in Kah-Nee-Ta and central Oregon.<ref>{{cite book|title=Mount Hood Corridor, US 26 Rhododendron to OR 35 Junction, Clackamas County: Environmental Impact Statement|page=31|year=1999|publisher=United States Federal Highway Administration|via=Google Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rK81AQAAMAAJ}} {{Free access}}</ref>

==Academics== Sandy High School is unranked by ''U.S. News & World Report''.<ref name=usnews/> 19% of students participate in the Advanced Placement (AP) program,<ref name=usnews/> and 59% of those participants passed at least one AP exam.<ref name=testscores/> The school's graduation rate is 71%.<ref name=usnews/>

Per 2018 data, the student body's proficiency in the subject of English was 20% above the state average.<ref name=testscores>{{cite web|work=U.S. News & World Report|title=Sandy High School: Test Scores|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/oregon/districts/oregon-trail-sd-46/sandy-high-school-16644/test-scores|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref> In mathematics, students performed at only 5% above the state level.<ref name=testscores/> Students' State Test Performance Index score was 79.9, 5.1 points above anticipated scores based on students' family incomes and levels of education.<ref name=testscores/> 46.5% of students from disadvantaged backgrounds scored proficiently on these tests, with 59.7% proficiency for non-disadvantaged students.<ref name=testscores/>

In 2015, students' mean average PSAT score was 1001.<ref>{{cite web|work=Oregon Trail School District|url=http://oregontrailschools.com/shs/2016/02/09/outstanding-academic-performance/|date=February 9, 2016|title=Outstanding academic performance!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226122556/http://oregontrailschools.com/shs/2016/02/09/outstanding-academic-performance/|archive-date=February 26, 2016}} *[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B41Ags70UKknMlY3OHh0UzBtVE0/view?usp=sharing Visual graph] of student scores</ref>

==Athletics== The school's athletic teams are the Pioneers, and compete in the OSAA 6A-4 Mt. Hood Conference.<ref name=osaa>{{cite web|work=Oregon School Activities Association|title=Sandy High School|url=http://www.osaa.org/schools/55|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911202444/http://www.osaa.org/schools/55|archive-date=September 11, 2017}}</ref>

In July 2016, Sandy High School signed an athletic sponsorship deal with the locally headquartered Nike company.<ref>{{cite web|work=The Oregonian|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/page/how_nike_dominated_oregon_high.html|title=How Nike dominated Oregon high schools in one fell swoosh|date=April 1, 2018|author1=Schmidt, Brad|author2=Manning, Jeff|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>

==Notable alumni== *George Bruns, Academy Award-nominated Disney music composer<ref>{{Cite news|last=Allen|first=Brittany|title=Historical Society marches on with celebration of music|url=https://pamplinmedia.com/sp/68-news/350157-229315-historical-society-marches-on-with-celebration-of-music|access-date=2020-06-18|website=Pamplin Media Group|language=en-gb}}</ref> *Bill Johnson, World Cup alpine ski racer, Olympic gold medalist<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Ski|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GKkFQVm0mekC&q=Sandy+union+High+School+oregon&pg=PA52|title=Being Bill|page=52|date=November 1984|volume=49|issn=0037-6159|author=Miller, Peter}}</ref> *Brenda Strong, actress<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2014/04/17_actors_you_maybe_didn.html|work=The Oregonian|title=17 actors you (maybe) didn't know were from Oregon|author=Baker, Jeff|date=April 30, 2014|access-date=March 22, 2018}}</ref> *Mark Thorson, football quarterback<ref>{{cite news|work=Portland Tribune|url=http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=104369|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230010533/http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=104369|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 30, 2014|title=Sibling rivalry? Nope|author=Cade, Michael|date=October 23, 2006|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Sources== *{{cite book|last=Bosserman|first=Dan|title=Sandy|series=Images of America|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|location=Mount Pleasant, South Carolina|isbn=978-1-467-13433-0|year=2015}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Sandy High School|{{nowrap|Sandy High School}}}} *[https://www.oregontrailschools.com/Domain/15 Official school site] *[https://sandyathletics.com Sandy High School athletics site]

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Category:High schools in Clackamas County, Oregon Category:Public high schools in Oregon Category:Cross country running courses in Oregon Category:1917 establishments in Oregon