Campus Life
The mission of Portola Jr./Sr. High School is to support and prepare our students to become independent and productive individuals who contribute positively to society. The Expected School-Wide Learning Results (ESLR's) support this mission statement by clearly and succinctly expressing the characteristics we wish our students to have. Portola Jr./Sr. High School ESLR's expect that our students will engage in the 5 C's: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Compassion.
PJSHS fully supports Plumas Unified School Districts mission to collectively inspire every child, in every classroom, every day.
Portola Junior-Senior High School (PJSHS), Home of the Tigers, was founded in 1926. PJSHS, with a student population of 258, has a long tradition of academic excellence, school pride, and community involvement.
Portola Junior-Senior High School is one of four 7-12th schools in Plumas Unified School District Plumas County covers 2,554 square miles and in 2013 had a population of 18,859. The county population is 84 % White non-Hispanic. Approximately 8% of the population is Hispanic, and the majority of this group attends Portola schools. Almost nine percent (8.8%) of the population speaks a language other than English at home. Of the county’s population, 13.9% live below the poverty level.
PJSHS is located in Portola, California, in the southeastern portion of Plumas County. Students from Portola, Johnsville, Graeagle, Clio, Beckworth, and parts of the Sierra valley attend PJSHS. Portola is the only incorporated city in the county and has a population of 2104 yearly residents. The city sits just a few miles west of the headwaters of the Feather River. Logging and railroading built Portola, but these industries have steadily declined in the past twenty years. The largest employers in the area now are the two local schools, Eastern Plumas Health Care District, and Plumas Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative.
The community is a vital shareholder in PJSHS. Currently, approximately 43 local businesses are owned and operated by its alumnae, who through the Purple Pride Booster Club and other activities are very supportive of the school. Eastern Plumas Health Care (EPHS), through its EPHC Cares Program, gives donations to the school to fulfill students’ needs. Local restaurants regularly allow their facilities to be used for student fundraisers. Local clubs and organizations raise and distribute approximately $31,000 annually to graduating seniors via the Assist-a-Grad Program each year. Residents fill the bleachers at football and basketball games. The Portola Rotary Club funds two PJSHS Book Clubs. Conversely, students get involved in their community through such activities as Portola Monthly Community Dinners, Elks Club Tuesday Night Dinners, Railroad Days, Winter-fest, and more.
PJSHS works hard to meet the needs of students: to prepare them for post-secondary education; to give them the skills needed in a technological world; to accommodate individual learning styles and challenges, and to offer extra-curricular and enrichment activities. A one-time budget infusion in 2013 from the local Save Our Schools group and IEA funds purchased 50 computers for the Library/Media Center and paid for some renovations to accommodate the computers. A grant from EPHC Cares allowed for the purchase of new furniture for the Library/Media Center. A fundraising effort in the Spring of 2014 allowed the school to purchase two 3-D printers, and a new class is being offered this year to teach students to design and produce items using these printers. During the 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 school years, science and shop classes designed and built an Outdoor Learning Landscape, complete with a trail, interpretive signs, and benches. In the fall of 2014, the school received a $25,000 grant from the Sacramento Regional Foundation that allowed the students to completely re-design and build a computer lab for the school.
Plumas Academies, an online component of PJSHS, is available to students who wish to take classes that are not offered at the high school or to make-up credits. All A-G classes are offered, and four AP classes are offered as well.
Also on the PJSHS campus is Jim Beckworth Continuation High School (JBHS) and Portola Opportunity School (POS). Some JBHS students also take PJSHS classes. The current enrollments as of October 2016, are:
• JBHS: 14 students in grades 10-12
• POS: 5 students in grades 7-9
• Plumas Academies: 25 students
Portola Junior-Senior High School (PJSHS), Home of the Tigers, was founded in 1926. PJSHS, with a student population of 258, has a long tradition of academic excellence, school pride, and community involvement.
Portola Junior-Senior High School is one of four 7-12th schools in Plumas Unified School District Plumas County covers 2,554 square miles and in 2013 had a population of 18,859. The county population is 84 % White non-Hispanic. Approximately 8% of the population is Hispanic, and the majority of this group attends Portola schools. Almost nine percent (8.8%) of the population speaks a language other than English at home. Of the county’s population, 13.9% live below the poverty level.
PJSHS is located in Portola, California, in the southeastern portion of Plumas County. Students from Portola, Johnsville, Graeagle, Clio, Beckworth, and parts of the Sierra valley attend PJSHS. Portola is the only incorporated city in the county and has a population of 2104 yearly residents. The city sits just a few miles west of the headwaters of the Feather River. Logging and railroading built Portola, but these industries have steadily declined in the past twenty years. The largest employers in the area now are the two local schools, Eastern Plumas Health Care District, and Plumas Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative.
The community is a vital shareholder in PJSHS. Currently, approximately 43 local businesses are owned and operated by its alumnae, who through the Purple Pride Booster Club and other activities are very supportive of the school. Eastern Plumas Health Care (EPHS), through its EPHC Cares Program, gives donations to the school to fulfill students’ needs. Local restaurants regularly allow their facilities to be used for student fundraisers. Local clubs and organizations raise and distribute approximately $31,000 annually to graduating seniors via the Assist-a-Grad Program each year. Residents fill the bleachers at football and basketball games. The Portola Rotary Club funds two PJSHS Book Clubs. Conversely, students get involved in their community through such activities as Portola Monthly Community Dinners, Elks Club Tuesday Night Dinners, Railroad Days, Winter-fest, and more.
PJSHS works hard to meet the needs of students: to prepare them for post-secondary education; to give them the skills needed in a technological world; to accommodate individual learning styles and challenges, and to offer extra-curricular and enrichment activities. A one-time budget infusion in 2013 from the local Save Our Schools group and IEA funds purchased 50 computers for the Library/Media Center and paid for some renovations to accommodate the computers. A grant from EPHC Cares allowed for the purchase of new furniture for the Library/Media Center. A fundraising effort in the Spring of 2014 allowed the school to purchase two 3-D printers, and a new class is being offered this year to teach students to design and produce items using these printers. During the 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 school years, science and shop classes designed and built an Outdoor Learning Landscape, complete with a trail, interpretive signs, and benches. In the fall of 2014, the school received a $25,000 grant from the Sacramento Regional Foundation that allowed the students to completely re-design and build a computer lab for the school.
Plumas Academies, an online component of PJSHS, is available to students who wish to take classes that are not offered at the high school or to make-up credits. All A-G classes are offered, and four AP classes are offered as well.
Also on the PJSHS campus is Jim Beckworth Continuation High School (JBHS) and Portola Opportunity School (POS). Some JBHS students also take PJSHS classes. The current enrollments as of October 2016, are:
• JBHS: 14 students in grades 10-12
• POS: 5 students in grades 7-9
• Plumas Academies: 25 students