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Nearly Half of Portland High School’s Graduating Class Commits to Attend UP
In early June, 47 seniors graduated from De La Salle North Catholic High School in Northeast Portland.
In August, 20 of those graduating ‘Knights’ plan to enroll at the University of Portland.
Mark it down as another win for UP’s groundbreaking Moreau Pathway Program, which offers direct admissions and a streamlined college entry experience for qualified seniors from 30 Catholic high schools across the country.
A short seven-mile drive across the city, De La Salle North Catholic is the closest Moreau Pathway-affiliated school, in proximity, to the University of Portland. The Knight-to-Pilot pipeline is well-established, but when 43 percent of one high school’s graduating class commits to Oregon’s only Catholic university—proud supporters of both institutions take notice.
“We are thrilled to welcome our largest-ever class of De La Salle North Catholic Knights to The Bluff,” said University President Dr. Robert D. Kelly, PhD. “The Catholic, Holy Cross educational experience we offer at UP dovetails beautifully with the rigorous, Lasallian, college prep curriculum that these students received at Knight Nation. De La Salle North Catholic has served them well, and we are excited to take to the baton and prepare these students for lives of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.”
When Dr. Kelly got word that 20 graduating De La Salle North Catholic students were UP bound, he sent ahead boxes of purple swag and stopped by the high school for an official Pilot welcome. De La Salle North Catholic President Ashleigh de Villiers says her students are drawn to UP’s close-knit community, strong support systems, and shared commitment to helping young people thrive.
“Through programs like the Moreau Pathway and the Cristo Rey Network University Partnership, UP has made college more accessible and has shown our students that they belong,” said President de Villiers. “It is no surprise that an incredible 43 percent of our Class of 2026 have chosen to become Pilots this fall. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and excited to see the next generation of Pilots take flight.”
In May, Hawaii’s KHON News featured UP’s Moreau Pathway Program as a partnership “creating new opportunities designed to make higher education more accessible and affordable” for graduating seniors. Two Honolulu high schools participate in the program, and recently Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado became UP’s 30th Moreau Pathway partner across nine states.
“The Moreau Pathway Program was created to honor families who have invested in a Catholic high school education, offering students the opportunity to continue their journey in a community rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition,” said Mai Nhia Xiong-Chan, EdD, UP Vice President for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Web Services.
“We stand as a comprehensive, national university where students of all faith backgrounds are both welcomed and valued,” Xiong-Chan said, adding, “we will continue to open doors and remove complexity for all graduating seniors who want to expand their horizons on our beautiful Bluff.”
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