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Portland Public Schools on Friday reversed a decision to close Metropolitan Learning Center’s high school in the next academic year.
The abrupt decision to close ninth through 12th grade at the K–12 alternative school, which the district announced to families on Feb. 10, sent shockwaves through the tight-knit MLC community. As WW reported, many parents and students said the school, which borders Couch Park in Northwest Portland, was a haven for students who had struggled elsewhere.
Multiple Portland School Board members confirmed to WW that the decision was reversed following a Tuesday School Board meeting, after staff re-assessed numbers and concluded that, if MLC is able to recruit more high schoolers, it will have large enough enrollment to sustain programming.
Low enrollment of 41 students at the high school was used as justification for closing the high school. The district said it would save $1.1 million amid a $50 million budget deficit in the upcoming 2026–27 school year. (The district calculated that it spends about $20,000 more per student at MLC than it does at an average high school.)
As a result of the reversal, the district now will support MLC recruitment efforts, board members said.
The decision follows intense advocacy from MLC families and staff, who said the school offers a model for community-based learning, and said the school supports high percentages of neurodivergent, queer and transgender kids. Tensions grew as multiple School Board members argued that the decision was made against the School Board school closure policy. (PPS has said the change is a programmatic one, not a school closure, and has said it is following the letter of the law.)
“I’m thrilled that the district has reversed course,” says School Board member Virginia La Forte. “This is not about bending to the demands of every parent or reacting emotionally to pressure. It’s about thoughtfully considering the real and documented needs of students—particularly those with individualized learning plans and mental health vulnerabilities—and ensuring that any decision we make accounts for the impact on them.”
The district did not immediately respond to WW’s request for comment.
