PPS Superintendent Says District Could Close Up to 20 Schools

Portland Public Schools could close up to 20 schools in its consolidation process, Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong said Wednesday morning.

The district, like many urban ones nationwide, has faced new pressures as enrollment is expected to decline.

The district has 45 elementary schools, 11 K–8s, and 15 middle schools. Last year, Armstrong began a process to close several of them, in an effort to more equitably distribute resources across buildings. Discussions on the matter are set to take place through this coming fall, with closures taking effect in the 2027–28 school year.

Armstrong in the spring had previously shared expectations that the district would close between five and 10 of its schools serving early grades.

But at a press conference Wednesday morning outside of Rosa Parks Elementary School, it appeared the range had grown.

“As we dig into the data…that number could be as great as 20 or as few as 10,” Armstrong said. “I think it just really depends on the decisions that we make and the input from the board as we make our way through September.”

The Portland School Board on Sept. 1 will receive new data about the consolidations process, Armstrong said, and more information throughout the month of September. The district in November will present a draft list of schools to the board to consider “for consolidations, closures, and even some program balancing or moves,” she said.

Armstrong said the district will work to prioritize student learning environments throughout the process.

The superintendent also noted that a Portland State University Population Research Center forecast that found the district would continue to lose students over the next decade had a couple of bright spots. While the district is looking at another 2% decline in enrollment this year, Armstrong said elementary school growth was starting to stabilize. Early grades suffered throughout the course of the pandemic.

“Then at the middle level, we have some growth over what was projected,” Armstrong said. “I know that families are still choosing Portland.”