North Salem High School (originally Salem High School) is a public high school in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, United States, founded in 1906. It was known as Salem High School until 1954.

History

Opened in 1906, the original Salem High School building was at the location of the former

Meier & Frank Meier & Frank was a prominent chain of department stores founded in Portland, Oregon, and later bought by The May Department Stores Company. Meier & Frank operated in the Pacific Northwest from 1857 to 2006. History Summary Meier & Frank was f ...

building in downtown Salem (now a

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

). A decision was made to move the school to a more spacious building, and in 1937, the new Salem High School building was opened on the corner of 14th and D street. The new building was a project of the Public Works Administration, and at the time of its founding was on the fringes of developed Salem. The school's name was changed in 1954 to North Salem High School when

South Salem High School South Salem High School is a public high school in Salem, Oregon. It was built in 1954 as the second public high school in the city. After South Salem opened, the former Salem High School was renamed North Salem High School. History South Salem ...

opened that year. Over the years, many additions have been made to the building, with the latest addition, the West Wing, being completed in 2001. From 2019 to 2021, North Salem High School was under construction for the new gym.

Academics

Like many Marion County schools, North Salem High School has historically had a high dropout rate, regularly exceeding the state average. During the 2001–02 school year, the dropout rate stood at 29.83%. This, however, has been improving steadily since 1997, when the dropout rate was 39.90%. In 2018, 68% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 441 students, 299 graduated and 106 dropped out. North Salem's test scores are below state averages, although they have been improving slowly. In 2017–18, North Salem finished with 62% meeting English standards, 32% in Math, and 30% in Science, all of which are below the state average in each respective category.

Music

North Salem has been nationally recognized by the GRAMMY Foundation as a "Grammy Signature School" multiple times. In 2003, the Marching Band won the Northwest Marching Band Circuit, taking their number one ranking among Washington, Oregon, Southern Idaho, Northern California, and Western Nevada marching bands. In 2005, the band tied with

to win the

OSAA The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) is a non-profit, board-governed organization that regulates high school athletics and competitive activities via athletic conferences in the U.S. state of Oregon, providing equitable competition amo ...

4A State Band Championship.

State championships

* Boys' cross country: 1949, 1952, 1953 * Boys' basketball: 1920, 1925, 1926, 1933, 1939, 1940, 1950 * Baseball: 1967 * Boys' golf: 1953 * Boys' tennis: 1953 * Boys' track & field: 1927 * Girls' Track & Field: 1997(4A), 2019(5A) (tie) Grant (11-0-1). Multnomah Stadium, Portland North Salem (7-1-2 1963

Notable alumni

* Staryl C. Austin, U.S. Air Force general *

Lute Barnes Luther Owen Barnes (born April 28, 1947, in Forest City, Iowa) is a former professional baseball second baseman and shortstop who played Major League Baseball for the New York Mets from -. Barnes attended North Salem High School then college a ...

, former MLB player for

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Rocky Gale Rocky Michael Gale (born February 22, 1988) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He attended the University of Portland where he was named the West Coast Conference defensive player of the year before being drafted by the San Die ...

, Major League Baseball player,

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

Elizabeth Halseth Elizabeth Nicole Halseth (née Schworak; born February 5, 1983) is an American politician. She was a Republican member of the Nevada Senate from November 2010 until February 2012. Halseth is the youngest woman in Nevada to ever have been elected ...

, Nevada state senator *

Avry Holmes Avry Holmes (born February 20, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Halcones de Xalapa of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). He was drafted 66th overall by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the 2017 NBA G-League d ...

, basketball player * Mark Hatfield,

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

1959–67, U.S. Senator 1967–97 * Frank Herbert,Herbert, Brian. (2003) Dreamer of Dune : The Biography of Frank Herbert. New York: Tor Books, 2003, (p. 24) author of ''Dune'' *

Jed Lowrie Jed Carlson Lowrie (born April 17, 1984) is an American professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. Early life Lo ...

(born 1984), Major League Baseball player,

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Leonard Stone Leonard Stone (born Leonard Steinbock; November 3, 1923 – November 2, 2011) was an American character actor who played supporting roles in over 120 television shows and 35 films. Early years Stone was born in Salem, Oregon. The son of Mr. and ...

(born Leonard Steinbock), actor

References

External links

Historic images of Salem High School
and related images from Salem Public Library {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1906 High schools in Salem, Oregon Public Works Administration in Oregon 1906 establishments in Oregon Public high schools in Oregon