Oregon education officials have fully completed one of eight fixes recommended for the state’s High School Success grant program, according to a new Secretary of State audit that calls for clearer oversight of a $338 million public investment.
The follow-up review, released Sept. 23, classified five of the 2024 recommendations as partially implemented and two as not implemented. Most carry a June 2027 target, but auditors said the Oregon Department of Education lacks a documented process for tracking corrective work and has not formally assigned an oversight body to review it.
A large program with incomplete measurement
Oregon voters approved Measure 98 in 2016 to address low graduation rates and expand dropout prevention, career and technical education, and college-level learning opportunities. The Legislature allocated just over $338 million to High School Success for the 2025-27 biennium, according to the audit’s full report.
The auditors’ central concern is not that the department did nothing. ODE launched a pilot unified application covering 18 grant programs, developed a process to evaluate whether required school systems improve student progress and expanded regional support teams. But the report says ODE still cannot consistently connect particular spending strategies with measurable results across districts.
The only recommendation marked fully implemented was development of a process to evaluate whether eligibility systems improve ninth-grade progress, graduation rates and college or career readiness. Auditors said that process is scheduled to begin operating in summer 2027, meaning the plan exists but has not yet produced results.
Two recommendations remain open
One unmet recommendation calls for baseline data and measurable indicators that can show which investments improve student success. The other required ODE to brief lawmakers by the 2026 session on successful practices, effective spending and statewide challenges. The department did not make that presentation, the report says.
The underlying 2024 audit found that High School Success expanded important programs but that ODE could do more to identify and share effective strategies. The new review tests progress against those earlier findings rather than conducting a fresh statewide outcome study.
What happens next
Auditors issued seven new recommendations, including completing the outstanding work, collecting enough data to evaluate outcomes, creating written corrective-action plans and assigning responsibility for oversight. ODE agreed with all seven, with target dates ranging from February through December 2027.
A separate state summary says the Secretary of State will continue tracking the agency’s progress. The practical test will be whether ODE’s new application and monitoring systems can show which local programs improve graduation and career readiness before another two-year review.
The audit does not conclude that the grant program failed. It concludes that without baseline data, documented milestones and accountable oversight, the state cannot yet demonstrate which investments are working or whether unfinished reforms will be completed on time.
