 Auditors find High School Success grants have expanded important programs for student success, but need better data to determine overall effectiveness
SALEM, OR — In its third performance audit of Oregon’s High School Success program, the Oregon Audits Division found grant funds have successfully expanded critical programs to help prepare students for college and careers. However, outcomes are mixed or otherwise difficult to determine, leaving unanswered the big question of just how effective the program has been.
Oregon voters in 2016 passed Ballot Measure 98 to provide dedicated funding to address low high school graduation rates and better prepare students for college and careers. This is accomplished via High School Success (HSS) grants, administered by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and provided to schools and school districts to establish or expand programs in one or more of three areas:
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs of study for hands-on experience and professional development;
- College-level opportunities to allow students to earn college credits while still in high school; and
- Dropout prevention strategies.
Over the first six years of HSS, more than 230 grantees across the state reported spending about $760 million in grant funds.
 Measure 98 also included another component: a requirement for the Secretary of State Audits Division to audit the program every two years. Today’s audit is the third performance audit to be conducted of the program, and the first to look specifically at spending and its effect on student outcomes over the years.
Auditors found some notable successes from the program. HSS investments have helped expand CTE programs, college-level opportunities, and dropout prevention supports. But other outcomes are mixed, or difficult to determine, in part because HSS is only one of many programs working toward the same goal.
Auditors examined four commonly used student outcomes: graduation rates, dropout rates, ninth grade on-track rates, and regular attendance. Graduation rates improved the most, rising to 81% of all students — but remain low compared to the rest of the country. In the latest national comparison, based on 2021-22 graduation rates, Oregon ranked 44th lowest overall.
Dropout rates were less reliable due to pandemic-era rule changes, but generally improved, while ninth grade on-track rates did not substantially change from 2016, although they did bounce back after an alarming dip during the pandemic. Regular attendance dropped sharply after the shift to online learning in 2020 and has not recovered.
“This audit shows Measure 98 has had some positive impact, but it also shows how difficult it can be to quantify and measure impact,” said Audits Director Kip Memmott. “To specifically target these funds and determine what’s working and what’s not, you need more granular reporting. If ODE and the Legislature want to more accurately measure the effect of the High School Succes program, they need better data.”
According to the audit team, ODE has worked diligently to improve the program, drawing on feedback from grantees and their own experiences. ODE focuses on monitoring individual districts and grantees, but could do more to evaluate how the program is working as a whole. For example, grantees reported their progress on more than 1,200 goals, often without data to support the reported outcomes, and reported no results for nearly 10% of the stated goals. As a result, data-driven analysis and monitoring of program outcomes is limited.
Read the full report on the Secretary of State website.
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About the Oregon Audits Division
The division exists to fulfill the Secretary of State’s constitutional and statutory audit authority. We do this by auditing to protect the public interest and improve Oregon government. Our vision is to be the source of independent, reliable, useful, and timely information on state government operations and programs for the Governor, Legislature, and people of Oregon; and to provide transparency and accountability for the use of public resources.
About the Oregon Secretary of State
The Oregon Secretary of State is one of three constitutional offices created at statehood. Oregon’s Secretary of State is Oregon’s chief elections officer, chief auditor, chief archivist, and oversees business and nonprofit filings. The Secretary of State also serves as one of three members of the State Land Board and as the chair of the Oregon Sustainability Board. Under Article V, Section 8a of the Oregon Constitution, if there is a vacancy in the office of Governor, the Secretary of State becomes governor. As an independently elected constitutional officer, the Secretary of State answers directly and solely to the people of Oregon.
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