NEWBERG, Ore. — George Fox University reported record enrollment for the third consecutive year this fall, reaching 4,373 students, and separately announced a $150,000 grant to expand literacy programs in Newberg’s elementary schools.
According to a Sept. 18 university announcement, the enrollment figure marks the 11th record set during the tenure of President Robin Baker, who has led George Fox since 2007. Traditional undergraduate enrollment also reached a record high, topping 2,500 students for the first time, driven by an incoming class of 652 first-year students and 98 transfer students alongside a record 1,762 returning students.
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The university said enrollment in its adult and online programs surpassed 300 students for only the fifth time in its history, growth it attributed in part to the rollout of new 90-credit degree tracks this year. The incoming class in its accelerated elementary education program nearly doubled compared with last year. Graduate enrollment reached 1,555 students, with record incoming cohorts in the Master of Social Work and Occupational Therapy programs and full capacity in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Those totals do not include an estimated 850 dual-enrollment high school students expected to take courses during the current academic year.
University officials said the growth comes even as colleges nationally, including in the Pacific Northwest, face enrollment stagnation or declines tied to a shrinking pool of high school graduates and costs, a trend commonly described as the demographic cliff. They attributed George Fox’s continued growth to its student recruitment approach and to investments in health care programs aimed at addressing shortages of medical professionals in Oregon, particularly in rural areas.
Separately, on Sept. 10, George Fox’s College of Education announced it had received a $150,000 grant from the Newberg-based Austin Family Foundation to launch a literacy initiative in local elementary schools, developed in partnership with the Newberg School District and Stand for Children Oregon. According to the announcement, the initiative will expand the university’s existing high-dosage tutoring program to serve up to 180 students across all six Newberg elementary schools, add a new summer literacy program intended to serve up to 45 students and reduce seasonal reading loss between school years, and fund additional educator training through the university’s ongoing partnership with the district.
“We are honored to partner with Newberg School District on this initiative,” said Sarri Gibson, the initiative’s project lead at George Fox. “This grant allows us to invest in what matters most – our students! By bringing together teacher candidates, classroom educators, literacy experts, and community partners, we’re creating meaningful learning opportunities for children today while preparing outstanding teachers for tomorrow.”
According to the grant announcement, pre-pandemic data showed 46% of Oregon students were reading proficiently by the end of third grade, a figure that has since dropped to just over 40%, and students who are not reading proficiently by third grade face a fourfold increase in the likelihood of dropping out of high school. The university said the initiative is intended to align with the state’s Early Literacy Success Initiative, which funds high-dosage tutoring, summer learning and teacher training statewide.
George Fox University, based in Newberg with regional centers in Portland and Redmond, enrolls more than 4,000 students and offers more than 60 undergraduate programs and 21 graduate degrees. The university describes itself as Oregon’s largest private university and is ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best National Universities” report.
