Adrienne Nelson High School was proposed to relieve ongoing crowding issues at Clackamas High School in a $523 million bond in 2016.

ANHS opened for students in September of 2021 after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

In 2018, discussions resumed following the proposal to name a new elementary school after Beatrice Morrow Cannady was also met with backlash.

Other school board members stood firm on the idea.

[10] Nelson High School athletic teams compete in the OSAA 6A-4 Mt.