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North Salem High School (NSHS, originally Salem High School) is a
public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
in
Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city 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, w ...
, 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 an American department store chain founded in 1857 by Aaron Meier. He partnered with Emil and Sigmund Frank in the early history of the company, and opened the Meier & Frank Building flagship store in Portland, Oregon, Portland ...
building in downtown Salem (most recently a
Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...
). 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 The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was ...
, 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 (SSHS) 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 ...
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. In 2019, North Salem High School began construction on new gyms and classrooms, before being complete in 2021.


Demographics

Demographics For North Salem High School *63.8% Hispanic Enrollment *22.2% White Enrollment *4.6% Two or More Races Enrollment *4.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Enrollment *2.2% Black Enrollment *1.6% Asian Enrollment *0.8% American Indian/Alaska Native enrollment


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 2024, 82% of the school's seniors received a
high school diploma A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...
. Of 572 students, 554 graduated and 82 dropped out. North Salem's test scores are below state averages, although they have been improving slowly. In 2023-24, North Salem finished with 23% meeting English standards, 13% in Math, and 17% 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 National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely known for its Gramm ...
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
South Salem High School South Salem High School (SSHS) 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 ...
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 a ...
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, 2019 *Football: 1963


Notable alumni

* Staryl C. Austin, U.S. Air Force general * Lute Barnes, former MLB player for
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
*
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 Dieg ...
, 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
*
Amory "Slats" Gill Amory Tingle "Slats" Gill (May 1, 1901 – April 5, 1966) was an American college basketball coach, the head coach at Oregon State University in Corvallis for 36 seasons. As a player, Gill was twice named to the All-Pacific Coast Conference bask ...
(1901–1966), basketball coach at
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...
* Edith Starrett Green,
United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
1955–74 *
Elizabeth Halseth Elizabeth Nicole Helgelien (née Schworak; formerly Halseth, 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 ever elected ...
, Nevada state senator *
Avry Holmes Avry Holmes (born February 20, 1994) is an American professional basketball for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). He was drafted 66th overall by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the 2017 NBA G-League ...
, basketball player *
Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Factions in the Republican Party (United States)#Moderates, moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican, he se ...
,
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 Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science-fiction author, best known for his 1965 novel Dune (novel), ''Dune'' and its five sequels. He also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, ...
,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 former professional baseball infielder. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, and New York Mets. Early life Lowrie ...
(born 1984), Major League Baseball player,
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
*
Leonard Stone Leonard Stone ( 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 life Stone was born in Salem, Oregon, the son of Jewish parents Julia ...
(born Leonard Steinbock), actor


Notable Faculty

*
Victor Backlund Victor Lee “Vic” Backlund (born September 12, 1936) is an American politician who served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives representing Keizer, Oregon, Keizer for 3 terms. Athletic career Backlund grew up in Bandon, Oregon, a ...
, McNary football and baseball coach


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