Photo: Getty Images

Portland Public Schools today sent Rightsizing proposals to the Board of Education to address decades of declining and increasingly uneven enrollment. Scenario A proposes closing 14 schools and Scenario B proposes closing 11, along with boundary, grade-level and program changes. A third option would defer the decision and maintain the current school configuration for now, without addressing the district’s declining and uneven enrollment.

The Board asked the superintendent to provide data and possible scenarios to review. PPS will continue to gather feedback and engage with students, parents and the community through November. The superintendent will consider the feedback received and deliver a final recommendation to the Board, which will vote in December. Changes approved by the Board will begin taking effect in fall 2027.

“We know how deeply connected students, families, educators and communities are to their schools, and considering the closure of any school is extraordinarily difficult,” said Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong. “But we also have a responsibility to look at Portland Public Schools as a whole and consider changes that give every student access to strong programs, stable staffing and the opportunities and support they deserve.”

Deferring the Decision

Deferring the decision would maintain the district’s current school configuration for now, with no immediate school closures or consolidations, boundary changes, grade-level reconfigurations or program relocations. As enrollment continues to decline and become increasingly uneven, staffing and resources would remain stretched, potentially limiting programs and opportunities for students. The Board would need to revisit school closures and other changes in a future year.

Scenario A: 14 proposed school closures

Scenario A proposes closing 14 schools—13 elementary schools and one middle school. Students and programs from those schools would be consolidated into the receiving schools identified below.

Maplewood Elementary

Receiving schools: Hayhurst and Rieke.

Stephenson Elementary

Receiving schools: Markham and Capitol Hill.

Irvington Elementary

Receiving schools: Beverly Cleary for K–5 students and Beaumont for the area’s middle school pathway.

Rose City Park Elementary

Receiving schools: Scott for neighborhood K–5 students and Vestal for Vietnamese immersion.

Buckman Elementary

Receiving schools: Abernethy and Sunnyside.

Creston Elementary

Receiving schools: Atkinson for neighborhood K–5 students and Glencoe for Deaf and Hard of Hearing classrooms.

Marysville Elementary

Receiving school: Arleta.

Woodmere Elementary

Receiving school: Whitman.

Lewis Elementary

Receiving school: Duniway.

Beach Elementary

Receiving schools: Chief Joseph for neighborhood K–5 students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.

James John Elementary

Receiving schools: Sitton for neighborhood K–5 students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.

Peninsula Elementary

Receiving school: Rosa Parks.

Sabin Elementary

Receiving school: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sellwood Middle School

Receiving schools: Hosford for students from the Llewellyn area and Brentwood for students from the Duniway and Lewis areas.

Scenario A also includes 38 boundary changes affecting elementary, middle and high school attendance areas; eight grade-level reconfigurations; 13 program moves; and the discontinuation of one focus-option program.

Several K–8 schools would become K–5 schools, with their middle-grade students moving to comprehensive middle schools.

Dual Language Immersion programs would be consolidated to provide more consistent pathways across grade levels, but no DLI program would be eliminated. Spanish, Mandarin and Vietnamese immersion programs would be relocated or combined at designated schools.

Scenario B: 11 proposed school closures

Scenario B proposes closing 11 schools—10 elementary schools and one middle school. Students and programs from those schools would be consolidated into the receiving schools identified below.

Maplewood Elementary

Receiving schools: Hayhurst and Rieke.

Irvington Elementary

Receiving schools: Beverly Cleary for K–5 students and Beaumont for the area’s middle school pathway.

Buckman Elementary

Receiving schools: Abernethy and Sunnyside.

Creston Elementary

Receiving schools: Atkinson for neighborhood K–5 students and Glencoe for Deaf and Hard of Hearing classrooms.

Marysville Elementary

Receiving school: Arleta.

Woodmere Elementary

Receiving school: Whitman.

Beach Elementary

Receiving schools: Chief Joseph for neighborhood K–5 students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.

James John Elementary

Receiving schools: Sitton for neighborhood K–5 students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.

Peninsula Elementary

Receiving school: Rosa Parks.

Sabin Elementary

Receiving school: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sellwood Middle School

Receiving schools: Hosford for students from the Llewellyn area and Brentwood for students from the Duniway and Lewis areas.

Scenario B also includes 34 boundary changes affecting elementary, middle and high school attendance areas; eight grade-level reconfigurations; 12 program moves; and the discontinuation of one focus-option program.

Several K–8 schools would become K–5 schools, with their middle-grade students moving to comprehensive middle schools.

Dual Language Immersion programs would be consolidated to provide more consistent pathways across grade levels, but no DLI program would be eliminated. Spanish and Mandarin immersion programs would be relocated or combined at designated schools, while Vietnamese immersion would remain at Rose City Park.

Other Changes Included in Scenarios A and B

Both scenarios would relocate Odyssey from the East Sylvan school building to Metropolitan Learning Center. MLC would remain open as a K–8 school, but its grades 9–12 program would close and students would be moved to an appropriate educational option. The move would leave East Sylvan vacant and available for consideration through the district’s separate building-repurposing process. No alternative or focus-option school is proposed for closure.

Seven K–8 schools would become K–5 schools. Beverly Cleary’s grades 6–8 would move to Beaumont; Laurelhurst’s to Mt. Tabor; Sunnyside’s to Hosford; Bridger Creative Science’s to designated neighborhood middle schools; César Chávez’s to George; Faubion’s to Ockley Green; and Vernon’s to Harriet Tubman.

Dual Language Immersion programs would be consolidated to provide more consistent pathways across grade levels, but no DLI program would be eliminated. Scott Spanish immersion would move to Rigler; Beaumont Spanish immersion for grades 6–8 would move to Roseway Heights; Atkinson Spanish immersion would move to Lent; Spanish immersion from Beach, James John and Sitton would move to César Chávez; and Ockley Green Spanish immersion for grades 6–8 would move to George. Clark Mandarin immersion would move to Woodstock, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mandarin immersion would move to Boise-Eliot/Humboldt. Under Scenario A, Rose City Park Vietnamese immersion would move to Vestal; under Scenario B, it would remain at Rose City Park.

Both scenarios would also discontinue the environmental focus option at Sunnyside Environmental School and transition the school into a neighborhood K–5 school. Sunnyside would no longer accept new lottery transfers, while currently enrolled lottery students could remain through fifth grade.

Complete details for each scenario, including proposed changes by school along with boundary changes, grade-level reconfigurations and program moves are available on the PPS website.

Source: Portland Public Schools

Z100 Portland Music