Benson Polytechnic High School, Portland | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Benson Polytechnic H.S. is the only Professional/Technical high school in Portland Public Schools. It is named after Simon Benson, the son of immigrants from Norway, who moved to the Northwest almost penniless. He drove a logging team, and eventually started his own logging business. He invented a more efficient way to transport logs on the rivers to their markets and finally achieved wealth, becoming one of the Northwest’s great philanthropists. In addition to donating scenic land in the Columbia River Gorge, including Multnomah Falls and Benson State Park, he is also responsible for building The Benson Hotel.
He believed a comprehensive academic and trade school formed a solid foundation for a student’s future, and in 1915 donated $100,000 to create such a school — provided it was matched by the Portland School Board. The new school opened in the fall of 1920. It was made up of two separate divisions, Building Trades and Machinery Trades.
A boy spent three years rotating through the departments in one of the divisions, and his senior year was required to major, or specialize, in one department. The academic work for both divisions was the same, and qualified students to attend Oregon Agricultural College (now OSU) or another Pacific Coast college. The same holds true today.
“The technical form of education,” a city official wrote in 1920, “…gives the boys a chance to use their hands and brains in unity….”
The Benson seal was created in 1921. In the center of the wheel is a book and torch; these together symbolize knowledge. In the spaces between the spokes of the gear are four symbols that represent, respectively, drawing, shop, academics, and science.

I knew as soon as I stepped into the school for the first time that I wanted to go there. I immediately started figuring out how to get in instead of going to the new Franklin Campus. So far it has been one of the best school experiences I have ever had. Nothing about this school is bad.