Pendleton awaits OSAA districting decision
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, November 12th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Pendleton School District has requested that the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) move it back to a 5-A district. Superintendent Michelle Jensen says she understands that the OSAA needs to make the best decisions for all of Oregon.
Pendleton High School had historically been a 5-A school. The student population numbers were increased by OSAA, putting it into 4-A which has more schools on the east side of the state. Jensen says PHS is prepared to accept whatever the OSAA decides.
“I’m not 100 percent sure that this is going to stick and we knew that,” she said. “We’re team players. Whatever the OSAA decides is what we will go with.”
Jensen said they sought the higher division because the high school freshman and junior varsity teams do not experience the higher level of competition that being a 5-A team would carry. She said the district will explore other ways of improving the experience of under-class athletes if the OSAA fails to move PHS up to a higher division.
