Skip to main content
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 shock waves 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 had been reversed following the board meeting on Tuesday, after staff reassessed numbers and concluded that if MLC can recruit more high schoolers, it will have a large enough enrollment to sustain programming.
The low enrollment of 41 students at MLC was used to justify 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 it spends about $20,000 more per student at MLC than it does on average at neighborhood high schools.)
As a result of the reversal, the district now will support MLC recruitment efforts, board members said.
“As MLC focuses on building a strong ninth-grade class, central office teams will partner with the MLC community to strengthen programming and visibility,” PPS Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong said in a statement to WW. "This means a commitment to providing communications, marketing, and operational support to ensure this effort has the alignment it needs to succeed."
The decision follows intense advocacy by MLC families and staff, who said the school offers a model for community-based learning and 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’s school closure policy. (PPS has said the change would be a programmatic one, not a school closure, and that it followed 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.”
