The high school was founded in 1957 as
Madison High School, named after
Founding Father James Madison. Construction on the campus began in 1955. Teacher Leodis V. McDaniel became the principal of the school in 1983, and remained until his death in 1987. On June 29, 2004, the school was damaged by fire, probably caused by fireworks. The school was renovated in 2019–2021 as part of a $790 million bond measure passed in 2017. Classes took place at the former
Marshall High School in Portland's
Lents neighborhood during the renovation. During the renovations, the school board began a process to re-name the school, as Madison had been a slaveholder. In April 2021, the school mascot was changed from the Senators to the Mountain Lions. ==Curriculum==