- [Teacher] One, two, three, four five, six corners.

It's a hexagon.

- [Children] And six people.

- [Elizabeth] In 2012, OPB began following a group of 27 students when they were in kindergarten.

Through elementary school.

- Hi.

- [Children] Number one, number one.

(car horn honking) (gentle music) - [Elizabeth] And middle school.

Now they're in 11th grade and celebrating being halfway through high school.

(students cheering) - You've had overcome huge hurdles.

You've had a pandemic.

You've had homeschooling.

And here you are ready to get this thing done to graduate on time.

- [Elizabeth] Half-grad is an invite only event for David Douglas juniors who have completed half of the 24 credits required for graduation.

- There is no way.

- It's over, nah, it's over.

This year is started off a little tough.

It's a little tougher this year but I'm getting through it.

You're going for the easy ones.

Come on.

- Nah, bro.

- My tough class is math and I would say English, too.

- Oh, my God.

- Right now US history is probably my hardest class and marine biology.

It's just a lot of writing and a lot of notes.

♪ Going to be forever or it's going to go down in flames ♪ - Academically I feel like junior year is definitely the hardest.

It's really the year where you have to get things together and get things in order, especially if you've struggled with past years.

- Every year we come and we do the banner so that you guys say you're committed to graduating.

So you have to sign it.

- [Ava] Overall I feel like I am more than halfway, and it feels really nice.

- [Elizabeth] But not every student in the class of 2025 was invited to half grad.

That means they have two more years to get back on track.

It's junior year and things are starting to get real.

This is the class of 2025.

(gentle upbeat music) Oregon has long struggled to get students through their educational journey.

In 2012, a third of high school students were failing to graduate on time.

Today 20% of them still aren't finishing in four years.

I'm Elizabeth Miller, education reporter for OPB.

I'm on my way to Estacada to check in with Kaylie, one of the students who didn't hit the half grad mark.

- You might have a different idea than somebody else too.

- When Kaylie was a sophomore, she attended school just 44% of the time, and her grades were tanking.

Junior year, her life changed.

She moved from her mom's house to live with her dad and stepmom in rural Estacada.

Nice to meet you.

- I'm Leslie.

- [Elizabeth] Though she still goes to school in southeast Portland.

- I would describe Estacada as calm and quiet.

I never hear police sirens here like I did in Portland.

- [Elizabeth] At her dad's, Kaylie is focusing on her grades and getting back on track.

- Since I've moved in with my dad, my grades have gotten a lot better.

And I've been staying on top of my work a lot more, and like doing my homework and going to school.

I have mostly all A's except for forensics and photography.

But the rest are A's and two B's.

- Hold on, what's that one at the bottom?

- Advisory.

- That's a new one.

- Yeah, that one's hard to fail.

- Moving in with me has impacted her grades because I hold her accountable.

'Cause I didn't graduate high school either.

I got my GED and I'm not pushing her.

It's whatever she wants.

If she tells me she wants to graduate, as her parent, it's my job to hold her to that.

- I want to get my diploma instead of my GED just because it's like my mom didn't graduate high school, so I want to be able to show her that I can.

Like most of my family didn't so I want to be able to.

- [Kaylie's Dad] I said eventually like somewhere down the road, you're going to thank me.

Like you're going to remember all this and why I did it.

- Come on, come on lady.

- [Elizabeth] It takes Kaylie about 45 minutes to drive from Estacada to David Douglas.

But despite the long commute her attendance has actually improved junior year.

(gentle upbeat music continues) At school, Kaylie is working on catching up at Day Academy, a class for students at risk of failing.

- Kaylie is being provided an opportunity to make up a credit that she missed out on sometime earlier in her career.

If she's like some of our others, she may have multiple classes to make up in here.

But that's what we provide, a second chance.

So basically what we got to do is find out...

The habits, the work habits you develop in high school will follow you the rest of your life.

And so I'm trying to kind of get the good attendance, good study habits, that sort of thing going with them so they can carry that into their future.

So you know how to do this one, right?

- Yeah.

- Alright.

(whimsical music) - Hard work in stagecraft.

(laughing) This is one of the more really fun, creative classes.

- [Elizabeth] Elective classes like stagecraft can keep students engaged and interested in school.

Anais has been taking stagecraft since sophomore year.

- We get to work on things so we get to make props, as you can tell.

- [Elizabeth] Anais and her classmate designed this prop for the spring play and built it from scratch.

- For me it's more of having an open mind, being able to follow directions without messing up.

And like I'd say more teamwork if anything because you do really need to work with someone or at least more than, you know, just yourself to be able to get through the whole entire thing.

(Anais laughing) You're going to bring your arm.

- You know what?

You need to stop.

I can't with you.

You're done.

- [Elizabeth] Anais comes from a big family.

She's very close with her mom, Josette.

Her family has struggled with addiction and mental health challenges.

Josette didn't get a high school diploma.

- I was for credits short from getting a high school diploma, and I do regret not getting that.

Her other four siblings have GEDs.

People look down on people that have a GED.

They feel they're not going to be successful, so I want her to have her diploma.

I don't want her being judged.

- [Teacher] This equation right here.

- [Elizabeth] Anais got her first serious boyfriend as a sophomore, but they broke up in the middle of the school year.

It was a factor in her missing a lot of school that year.

- My sophomore year I really did mess up, so I don't want to be like slipping up so much to the point I'm behind everyone else.

- [Elizabeth] She's been taking a credit recovery class to get back on track.

- So if you are missing that credit, it's like there to like substitute.

And like you could do the work and you'll at least get a D or C, which will give you that credit back.

But don't miss your core classes or mess up in them because you will have to take that and it will follow you.

- [Elizabeth] Anais is serious about wanting good grades, but graduating on time will be an uphill battle.

- My name is Anais.

I am seven years old.

- [Elizabeth] When Anais started kindergarten across the street, her mom started volunteering there.

- It was very nice to be able to be at the school with my kids.

I mean if you would've asked me 15 years ago to volunteer somewhere, I'd have been like, "Yeah, that ain't happening."

I stepped up and like, "You know what?

"I'm going to be there where they're at all the time."

And it's been a nice experience to be part of the school.

- [Elizabeth] Parents and guardians play a critical role in their child's education.

Through volunteering, Josette helped out other kids, too.

- So many families go through homelessness, hunger, domestic violence, drug addiction, sexual abuse.

And to see our kids go through that and to succeed and go forward means a lot.

- [Elizabeth] Walking to Earl Boyles, I think about how long we've known Anais.

- I want to be a doctor.

- [Interviewer] And why do you want to be a doctor?

- Because I helped my little brother.

I did.

- To be able to see her graduate, I think it'd be amazing.

Finishing high school is the best part, you know.

I'll be able to see her get her diploma, not GED.

Just don't want her to move out because she's my best friend.

(crying) - She's like the one person that you could really go to to talk to.

Like I'm very lucky to have my mom.

Wow.

- I could try.

- My feelings are all over the place because I know like I'll be so relieved of like not going to school no more like, "Yay."

But then it's like when the realization hits you, you're like, "Ooh."

Because now you're going to be in like adulthood.

You're going to have to do taxes.

You're going to have all these things that are supposed to be pretty much like, oh, you know, you already know this.

You learned this from school, you're supposed to do it now.

Got to accept it at some point, might as well.

(gentle music) - [Elizabeth] Long before Greg Carradine was a principal, he was a teenager.

He can still relate to junior year feelings about the future.

- I thought it was always something more that I needed to seek.

- [Elizabeth] He's worn a lot of hats in his 27 years at David Douglas, from teacher and football coach to attendance coordinator.

But no matter where he was on campus, he fostered a sense of community.

- I think David Douglas, it's kind of a macrocosm of what the world should be.

Coming out of the pandemic, I didn't realize just the amount of culture that had been lost in David Douglas High School.

No one's in the building so we didn't have anyone to pull, you know, our sophomores and freshmen up.

And so now things had to be rebuilt.

I wish I'd have known how to recognize that sooner.

A lot of that tradition that we have known that has been part of David Douglas High School for 55, 60 years, it was gone.

- [Elizabeth] But that school culture and school spirit are coming back.

(energetic dance music) (students cheering) - You know what?

Today's assembly is probably one of the better ones that we've had since I've been here.

- Okay.

- Hey, how you doing?

You doing all right?

Good.

- [Elizabeth] These days getting students to graduation is more than teaching classes.

- Hey, how are you?

- [Elizabeth] It's about meeting essential needs.

- We consider this place as a hub in the community.

And now it's a much more responsibility on the schools.

Sometimes food insecurity, it could be housing in some situations, It could be TriMet tickets, you know, public transportation.

Great job today.

That was good.

You have fun?

Good.

- Okay, if I can have your attention please.

- [Elizabeth] Schools are like mini societies where students learn not just how school works, but in some ways how the world works.

- We're going to look at identity and mass media, right?

How are folks represented in mass media and film and television, etc.

- [Ava] In English, we're learning about a lot of heavy and deep topics and I feel like my teacher, Ms. Apple, she makes everyone feel included.

And she really expresses that our voices are important.

- I just want to introduce these topics to you guys.

We can move...

Does anybody else want to add?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- When we're having group discussions, I feel very confident in the things that I want to say.

Ms. Apple, have you heard about this thing called the Doll Test?

- I want my kids to be able to ask questions, deep questions that are not obvious.

I want them to be able to read subtext.

- Yeah, I don't know if this is helpful, but like... - This is something I would love to show.

- Freshman year felt kind of like a warmup.

It's kind of like a tutorial and an introduction to high school.

And then sophomore year was where you really just got into it.

So junior year feels like you're finally figuring out what's right for you.

- [Elizabeth] What's right for Ava junior year is a packed schedule, balancing classes like English with extracurriculars like the school musical and choir.

When most of her classmates are still waking up, Ava is already at school.

- I got to school this morning at 6:45 AM.

- And why was that?

- I had Troubadour rehearsal, and it's basically a zero period.

It lasts from 6:45 to 7:30.

(choir singing) - [Elizabeth] Troubadours is a small singing group that Ava's been a part of since sophomore year.

- [Ava] We do a lot of competition and festivals.

(singing in foreign language) And we work on very advanced and sophisticated pieces.

- [Elizabeth] Being in this group is time consuming.

On performance nights, she can be at school up to 14 hours.

- [Ava] I think it really helps me stay in the zone and stay clear of what I need to do.

The only thing I'm really worried about is college.

None of my family has actually been to college before, so I want to be one of those people to do it.

- [Elizabeth] Ava is on track.

For students who are not, the reasons vary.

- I think when we're really looking at success, we have to look at the individual student and their needs.

- [Elizabeth] Ava's English teacher says coming back from the pandemic, she's seen a troubling trend, an attitude that school isn't worth the effort.

- Because the kids get overwhelmed, they can't keep up.

And as soon as they hit something that doesn't make sense, they're just like, "I can't do it.

I'm not going to."

- [Elizabeth] But Apple says, kids who stop putting in the effort or stop going to school altogether may miss out on crucial life lessons.

- One of the things that terrifies me about this inclination of students these days to just quit instead of pushing through when something is really hard, what's going to happen out in my community when they try to open a small business and they keep running into red tape?

Is that person going to quit because they can't find the resources or are they going to push through?

We're teaching them how to fail, right?

We're teaching them how to go through the ins and outs of being a human being.

That's what we do.

- There isn't just one clear path to graduating from high school or being successful in life.

Everyone faces setbacks.

Sometimes those setbacks take you off the path you're on.

A few miles away from David Douglas is Rosemary Anderson High School, an alternative education program.

Hi there.

- How are you doing?

- Good, how are you?

- Can I have you sign in please?

- Yes, definitely.

Rayshawn has been here since freshman year when he was suspended from David Douglas.

- He has a lot of friendships here, a lot of students really like him.

And some students look up to him, especially now as a junior.

- What I would say to someone who's going there or coming here on the first day, just show some effort.

Like the classes aren't that hard.

- [Elizabeth] There are many reasons students go to Rosemary Anderson.

Anything from having a baby or a job to entering the juvenile justice system.

Students and staff at Rosemary Anderson also have to cope with a high rate of violence in their communities outside of school.

- We at this campus, we've lost, I believe, 12 students and graduates to community violence and other tragedies that were preventable.

You know, just the impact of the losses that we've experienced definitely had a huge impact on the current student body.

And so we do spend a lot of time as well as a community bringing in mental health resources for them so that we can take care of them as best we can.

- We're a team.

The sport is education.

The goal is your graduation.

- [Elizabeth] It's because of those many life circumstances that the school offers increased support for students.

That extra support plus a small staff-to-student ratio is part of why Rayshawn and other students succeed here.

- [Erin] We have about 100 students enrolled in any given time.

And it creates opportunities for everyone on staff to be really well acquainted with our students, to get to know them, to get to know their life stories, and to learn more about how we can support them so that they can be successful in high school.

- The Pythagorean Theorem - [Elizabeth] Rayshawn has gotten to know the staff pretty well.

They even have a nickname for him, chicken wing.

- Chicken Wing, do you remember what the Pythagorean Theorem is?

Thank you for your honesty.

- [Erin] I think initially he maybe didn't want to be here, but really settled in really quickly.

And at least reported to staff that he was really happy here and felt like it was the right place for him.

- So it's been a while since you've done this, right?

- He is becoming a leader in the school.

Whether he embraces that or not, it's true.

I really love to see that and want to help him develop, like maybe go into student council, especially going into next year, his senior year - [Elizabeth] At Rosemary Anderson, students usually arrive behind in credits and might take more than four years to graduate.

Not Rayshawn.

(upbeat music) He's on track and is even a little ahead.

And like a lot of students, he's ready to leave now.

- I don't think nobody like my generation wants to like actually like be at school.

Like I think we have to, but like we're just waiting to start our lives, like start our trades, start our own businesses.

- [Elizabeth] Both of Rayshawn's parents have turned their lives around.

They had run-ins with the law when they were younger, but now run their own businesses.

Rayshawn says his dad is his role model.

- My dad was like, he was crazy back then.

That's all I'm saying.

He was crazy.

Changed his life and now he has money, and now he wants us to have money.

- [Elizabeth] Rayshawn is ready to start working, but he's also thinking even further into the future.

- I'm trying to like start off good so I can have not just me be rich but like generational wealth.

- [Elizabeth] But sometimes dreams for the future change.

Every year we ask the class of 2025 what they want to be when they grow up.

- Like, I want to play basketball.

I think as I play more, I think I get better.

- [Elizabeth] That's Josh.

He loves playing basketball and even wanted to play professionally someday.

But junior year his thoughts are shifting.

- Before I felt like it was easier to be a professional basketball player.

I feel like it was easy, but I'm now growing up, it seems like getting a lot harder.

So you really have to just have a second plan.

I was thinking about probably trying to major in science, just hands on, like life science.

Sometimes I worry about the future and like what I'll do in the future, and if things will come too fast.

And I just worry about how my future will be and if anything will go wrong.

- Put your name on it.

This is just a few examples of... - [Elizabeth] Osvaldo has a lot on his mind this year, too.

- I'm thinking about after high school work and job opportunities and getting a job right now.

But I'm just trying to focus on my school work.

- [Elizabeth] David Douglas is hosting a career fair today to help students learn more about their options post high school.

- Definitely something blue collar.

I don't like sitting down in an office.

I feel like growing up to me means having your own job, your own place.

I'm young and I'm going to make mistakes, but as long as I learn from them, it'll be okay.

I really want to graduate, and I'm like excited for it, but I just don't know how I'll feel after I graduate.

- [Elizabeth] Osvaldo started the year on track, but around spring break he lost interest in school for about three weeks.

He took what he calls a mental break.

- One of the low points was definitely when I... After I took the mental break, I rechecked on my grades.

And it was just like, "Wow, like I need to really get it back together."

- [Elizabeth] Students tell me they understand the importance of a diploma, but for some, interest in school itself seems to be fading and attending school just feels optional.

- [Osvaldo] I've already been here for two years, and it's just really repetitive.

So I'm just like more absent than I normally am.

What helped me a lot to bring my grades back to where I wanted them was definitely the teachers.

They really helped me a lot this year.

- [Teacher] Brainstorm today what civil rights- - [Elizabeth] One way David Douglas keeps students interested in school is through career courses in fields like construction, culinary arts, and education.

Kaylie is taking an early childhood education class where students run an actual preschool supervised by Raluca Dinca.

- Lincoln, what do you want to play?

- This is not your traditional class where you're just going to sit there for 87 minutes and you know, be lectured to.

Like, you have to get out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there.

♪ Make a circle ♪ - In this class we plan lessons for the preschoolers and then like teach them to them.

What is this?

- [Children] A flower.

- It's a flower.

So what do you guys think we're going to be learning about today?

- [Children] Flowers.

- Flowers?

Yeah.

And when we're not teaching lesson or planning one, we're in here at like any of the stations for playtime or helping them with art time or during recess.

Stand up and show me your big flower.

I feel like early education is preparing me for like if I want to be a teacher.

And even just for the future when I have kids.

- [Raluca] This class for Kaylie and for others just helps build their confidence in their own skills, especially those soft skills that we talk about.

- Do you need to wash your hands?

- Communication, patience, hardworking, like, I feel like they really develop more of those skills that they're going to need in the workforce.

- All right, your mom's here.

Are you ready?

Bye.

Oh, all right, I'll see you later.

I feel like it's getting really scary how close I am to the end of high school.

Like I'm nervous for what classes I'm going to take in order to prepare me for like college and stuff.

- These amendments get passed following the Civil War.

- [Elizabeth] Josh is preparing for his future a little differently.

Junior year he became a teacher's assistant for a US history class.

- I would like you and your groups to write down anything that you think should be a human right.

- [Josh] Being a teacher's assistant, Mr. Andreen relies on me to help him with certain things.

I feel like he can trust me to do those things, like grade papers, go get something, you know, go to this spot and come back in this amount of time.

And he knows I'm going to be there and do the right thing.

- Alright, let's go.

One person for every table come up to the board.

Write down three from your list please.

- [Elizabeth] Junior year is when most students start exploring the different paths beyond high school, like college.

David Douglas also hosts a college fair for interested juniors and seniors.

Student teacher, Tiara Primus, organized the event.

- I wanted to bring the colleges here to campus for them in a space where they're going to pass through.

And hopefully not be as afraid to just stop by a table and say, "Hey, what do you offer?

"What would it look like for me as a student?

"Could I be a student at your school someday?"

And just start to recognize that they deserve this just as much as anyone else.

- [Elizabeth] Some students might be the first in their family to even consider college.

- [Tiara] Some students don't recognize that there's universities and options outside of the state of Oregon.

- I was looking at Mount Hood Community College and a University of Alaska.

- [Tiara] Well now, after getting to poke their ears a little bit and learn a little bit more about the school, they could take that leap of faith and see what happens.

- [Elizabeth] Junior year is a reality check.

High school is almost over.

- [Greg] How you doing?

They find that sense of belonging and they find their pathway.

And then they begin to write their own story.

- [Elizabeth] But Principal Carradine won't be there to guide the class of 2025 through senior year.

- You know, here I am 27 years later, I retired from David Douglas High School.

I'll get a hand in.

Every morning that I wake up to come to work, It's not like it's a job for me.

You know, I enjoy coming in, working with my students.

And I think we're all in it for the right reason.

And that reason is to go ahead and create opportunities for students beyond their high school career.

I love my job from the standpoint that I'm working with people and we all have the same goals is to try to get kids across the stage to graduate high school.

- He won it.

Oh man.

(gentle music) - [Elizabeth] The class of 2025 has one more year to go.

It all brings a mix of pressure, excitement, and uncertainty.

- I feel like it's the year where you kind of have to wake up and really think about your future.

Like when I was little, I would have people go up to me and be like, "Oh, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

I want to be a teacher, an artist, and a ballerina.

And now I realize like I don't have much time to think about that.

And it's kind of scary.

- [Elizabeth] For students who are on track to graduate, senior year can be a pretty easy lift with only a few required classes remaining.

For students who have fallen behind or lost interest in school, senior year is going to be a tough slog.

And they may not graduate in the class of 2025.

Whatever happens next year, I'll be there to share their stories.

(gentle music) I am Elizabeth Miller, reporter at OPB.

- [Rob] And I'm Rob Manning, OPB editor and the creator of the "Class of 2025 Project."

It started here at Earl Boyles Elementary School in Southeast Portland.

- [Elizabeth] The kids who were learning to count and read in this building 12 years ago when this project started are now juniors in high school.

- Right now I'm on track to graduate, so that's good.

- It's kind of a amazing.

OPB has only been able to sustain this project for the last decade because of the help of our members.

- And Rob and I are here to keep it going all the way through high school graduation, with the help of sustaining members of OPB.

- [Rob] You can help us keep telling the stories of the class of 2025 and support all of OPB's essential reporting and programs.

Become a sustainer with an ongoing monthly contribution now at opb.org/video.

And thanks.

(bright music)