College Info

“Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”
- W. B. Yeats

Portland Lutheran School prepares its students for lifelong learning, while also instilling the specific skills needed for success at universities of choice. PLS often boasts a 100 percent success rate of sending its graduates on to higher education institutions. Portland Lutheran requires a minimum of 28 units of credit for graduation. Graduates meet or exceed all requirements of the state of Oregon as well as the admissions requirements of most four-year colleges and universities. Students leave with a broad background in the liberal arts as they continue their education at institutions around the country and globe. Recent graduates have been accepted at a variety of schools, from Reed, Howard University and Columbia, to Boston University, Purdue, Stanford, Pepperdine and George Washington.

College-bound students can take advantage of individualized counseling from a college counselor, and 11th and 12 graders are offered formal classroom instruction in applying for college. Students are guided toward numerous resources, from national and local college fairs to reputable online sites. Financial aid and scholarship information is provided for PLS students as well. A college financial aid officer holds an information night during the school year to assist parents in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Similar information is made available in print and video formats through the school.