Portland Evening & Summer Scholars, 9–12 tuition-free public alternative program in Portland

Portland Evening & Summer Scholars

a tuition-free public alternative program in Portland

9–12 · Alternative · Specialized · Recovery · Portland Public Schools

546 NE 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97232 / Evening classes at Benson, Franklin, Roosevelt; summer adds McDaniel · Dave Holm

Portland Evening and Summer Scholars is Portland Public Schools' credit recovery program for high school students. Students keep their regular spot at their day school and add PESS courses on top, either one evening a week during the school year or in a compressed summer session.

Courses cover the graduation requirements: language arts, social studies, government and economics, science, math, PE and health, Spanish, and Essential Skills, with ELD added in summer. All Evening Scholars courses are NCAA approved. Students can recover credit, improve a grade, or earn original credit to get ahead, though summer is reserved for credit recovery only.

Seats are filled by priority, seniors first, and non-PPS students last, so timing matters. The pace is the thing to understand before enrolling: 13 class meetings cover 18 weeks of coursework, and there are no excused absences. Students absent through the first 3 weeks are dropped as a no-show, and 5 absences ends enrollment for the term, with the option to return in a later session.

Registration runs entirely through the student's high school counselor. AP courses are not offered and there are no athletics or clubs.

9–12 grades

Tuition-free alternative program

Tuition: Tuition-Free Public

Address: 546 NE 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97232 / Evening classes at Benson, Franklin, Roosevelt; summer adds McDaniel. Phone: 503-916-5720. Website: pess.pps.net.

PPS rightsizing · a proposal, not a decision

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The basics

A day here

The schedule

Before & after school

The campus

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worth asking about on the tour

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Academic performance

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The support

Getting in

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Your odds in the lottery

Seats here aren’t first-come; they’re drawn by lottery. Each circle below is a tenth of the families who applied over the last two springs and stayed in the running (didn’t take a higher-ranked school). Filled circles got a yes.

but it depends who you are

{{ oddsSrcCaret }} where these numbers come from

Official PPS lottery results, 2025-26 & 2026-27 combined: offers made ÷ families still in the running (offered + waitlisted); applications cancelled for a higher-ranked school excluded. pps.net › prior transfer data. Slots reset every year.

Tuition

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