Up to 14 Portland Schools Could Close as Enrollment Declines, With a Vote Set for December
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Public Schools is considering closing as many as 14 schools as it responds to declining enrollment and pressure on staffing and resources. Two proposals presented to the Board of Education would also change school boundaries, grade levels, and programs across the district.
Portland Public Schools Propose Closing 11 to 14 Schools
PPS submitted two ‘rightsizing’ scenarios to the Board on Oct. 5. Scenario A would close 14 schools, while Scenario B would close 11. The district said enrollment has declined while it has continued operating essentially the same number of schools.
Enrollment at Portland Schools has also become increasingly uneven, with some remaining large while others serve far fewer students. PPS said this makes it more difficult to provide consistent staffing, programs and support.
A third option would defer the decision and maintain the current school configuration- with no immediate closures, consolidations, boundary changes, grade-level reconfigurations, or program relocations.
The district will continue gathering feedback from students, parents and the community through November. The superintendent will then make a final recommendation to the Board, which is expected to vote in December. Approved changes would begin taking effect in fall 2027.
Portland School Board Proposals Extend Beyond School Closures
The proposals extend beyond school closures:
- Scenario A includes 38 attendance-boundary changes, eight grade-level reconfigurations, 13 program moves, and the discontinuation of one focus-option program.
- Scenario B includes 34 boundary changes, eight grade-level reconfigurations, 12 program moves. and the same program discontinuation.
- Several K-8 schools would become K-5 schools, with middle-grade students moving to comprehensive middle schools.
Both scenarios would discontinue the environmental focus option at Sunnyside Environmental School and transition it to a neighborhood K-5 school.
The PPS proposal also included consolidating Dual Language Immersion programs to create more consistent pathways, although no DLI program would be eliminated.
According to the board, these changes are intended to better align schools, programs, and resources with current enrollment and create a more stable school system.