My daughter has been at Cottonwood this school year as a kindergartener, and overall our experience…read morehas been really positive. Cottonwood is a great fit for families who value community, outdoor learning, and a smaller, more relational school environment. Her K-1 blended class has helped her grow academically and socially, and she's developed a real love for math, reading, and hands-on learning. Field trips and outdoor enrichment, like exploring Oaks Bottom, have been a big highlight. What stands out most is the culture of care. From day one, staff across the school made a point to welcome her by name, which helped a big transition feel safe and personal. That kind of consistency and attention really matters with young kids. I also appreciate being able to volunteer and stay connected to the classroom/fieldwork. Seeing the environment firsthand has reinforced why it works well for our family. Cottonwood offers something special for families looking for thoughtful teaching, strong relationships, and real community.

I have had both of my kids here since kindergarten. It is an incredible community and child…read morecentered and with deeply enriching curriculum. It's focus on field work has my kids connected and knowledgeable about Portland--its ecology, history, and its civics. With a strong focus on social emotional learning, my kiddos are developing skills in emotional regulation, communication and restorative justice.

The main Ainsworth School was built in 1913. It added wings, colonies and adjacent classrooms. It…read moreis Portland's oldest continuously operating elementary school. Our group has meetings in the band room of the oldest part of the main school. Staff is great. Super cool, they have adult-size chairs and tables for meetings! My discovery was that an over 110 year old school building is perfectly excellent! I have had arguments with parent friends over the primacy of green schools and fancy new construction. My primacy is involved parents over everything, by a mile. The cleanliness, spirit of student work posted everywhere, the humbleness and economy of instruments, sheet music and more, demonstrates concretely what is really important for kids. Parents. Ainsworth School and any Portland school is a perfect venue to engage for meetings and to draw together all neighbors to do something in the neighborhood.

The transportation issue with this school is dangerous. No place to drop off kids. The buses pickup…read moreon dangerous streets. Seems like a good school but they have no place for student drop off so you are forced to drop kids off on busy streets.

I call portland home for some reason. it's not really my home though. i was born in korea and first…read moremoved to los angeles and went to elementary there. I moved to oregon and finished all my primary education, came back to so cal for college and have been here ever since. i've lived in la longer than anywhere else. yet why do i call oregon home? maybe i don't want to be an angeleno. or maybe home is where you go to high school? whenever i am home in beaverton, oregon. i tend to drive around my area to see how things have changed and i always drive by sunset. i slow down and lower my window and just linger and look at the sign about the new game, or school play and let it all come back to me. how i remember high school and how it really was, is probably 2 different things. i thought i was a character, memorable. i remember speaking to mr. shlegal, a teacher i really got along with, a lot of time had passed but he didn't remember me. he was sorry but told me class clowns like me come through ever year. i remember mr. coply my ap econ and ap history teacher. i saw him some place and he didn't recognize me. i thought i was an econ and history prodigy but probably one of me every year... though one person i swear does recognize me is my old wrestling coach, coach parker. haha i always got this notion he still holds a grudge when i quit the team my senior year. whats funny is i still wrestle and compete to this very day, but now its more like ufc (not useful funny cool but ultimate fighting championship) style. i remember when westview was built and our school looked old and small and they took half our students and all our best athletes...freakin westview!!! i remember friends becoming enemies, friends being separated, because of new school boundaries... i remember break dancing in the halls. listening to my walkman at all times. wearing my letterman's jacket as a badge of honor and pride. pride... some kids hate their high school, or their experience. high school was rough. but needed to make me who i am. i made life long friends i still talk to, not a lot of people can say that. my best friend from then is my best friend now. my car from then is my car still. hey who says sam can't keep a long term relationship! i even still wrestler dammit haha. i still got school pride. i remember blushing when girls used to ask me for my jackets or if i could show them a move, or for me to dance a lil bit. i remember making home movies with my friends with hopes of becoming a filmmaker. i remember writing a lot. i remember picking on a lot of other people and smacking kids around. the bullied becomes the bully sometimes. i remember smoking behind the school, i remember drinking at my friends house and falling in love with liquor. I remember catcher in the rye and robert cormier books and the great gatsby and ethan frome and crime and punishment and so many more. i remember garretty and zinn. i remember warm summers eating outside, laughing, and care free eating orange creamcicles. before i was an adult. i was a human being. it was almost idyllic, or thats how i remember it. i remember what it felt like to be at home. i remember pride. sunset apollos.

Went here as a spectator for a "visitor" football team. The place seemed quite welcoming and…read morepleasant. I had heard all sorts of things about being a visiting spectator for high school football events and this was nothing like any of that...

This is our first year at Lewis and this has been the most pleasantly positive and easy…read moreexperiences. Our kiddo is coming from a Montessori preschool setting, which ended up being very difficult for us. The school has offered us all the support, welcoming staff and families, lots of wonderful programs, that are all wonderful. Lewis promotes diversity-love-support to students & families from all backgrounds (they stand t true to the their word about being inclusive, unlike other schools that just throw the word around, but do not hold true to). All of the kids are so friendly to one another. It definitely has more of an arts feel to it. The facility is very secure, and the classrooms are very clean & full of natural daylight. Our student is also blessed with a 16 student classroom vs 25 students for the school we were slated to go to that us east of here.

an amazing school with great teachers I was a student there and had a great time. Music program has…read morelots of marimba and singing wide range of books in the library and really fun and enjoyable games in PE

Concerns Regarding Bridges Middle School I feel a deep…read moreresponsibility to speak candidly about systemic issues that impact both staff and students at Bridges Middle School. Although the school publicly brands itself as an inclusive, neurodiversity-affirming program, the reality behind closed doors tells a very different story. Inadequate Curriculum and Staff Training Bridges utilizes little to no curriculum designed specifically for students with learning differences. Much of the curriculum is sourced from Teachers Pay Teachers and then modified by educators-most of whom have received little to no formal training in curriculum modification. Historically, Bridges has employed general education teachers without licensure in special education and without providing them with meaningful training in best practices for supporting students with learning differences. These are major oversights by administration. Families who pay $32,000 a year deserve highly qualified educators using well-vetted, evidence-based curriculum. Unsafe and Unsupported Learning Environments Teachers are routinely excluded from the development of Behavior Support Plans (BSPs), yet they are held solely responsible for implementing these plans-even when they do not reflect the realities of the classroom or students' actual needs. Staff receive no formal training in positive behavior support strategies, despite being asked to manage increasingly complex student behaviors without the necessary tools or collaboration. Safety protocols are also deeply inadequate. During my time at Bridges, I witnessed serious incidents-including students choking peers with stools and threatening gun violence-that were met with little to no follow-up or transparent safety planning with teachers. Administrative responses occurred behind closed doors, leaving educators without guidance or protection. This places both staff and students at risk. Discrimination and Toxic Leadership A troubling pattern of discrimination has emerged over multiple years, resulting in high staff turnover. This past year alone, every staff member with a disability was terminated-each due to symptoms associated with their disability. Legal action has been taken by more than one former employee. Meanwhile, the head administrator-who publicly identifies as a "neurodivergent coach"-has engaged in repeated discriminatory and retaliatory behavior. When staff presented documented evidence disproving false claims made by her, we were explicitly told to stop providing evidence that contradicted her narrative. This not only undermines trust, but fosters a culture in which misinformation and ableism go unchecked. For someone who holds a prominent voice in Portland's disability community, these actions are deeply hypocritical and harmful-especially within a school that claims to serve disabled students. Leadership Instability and Family Misinformation The school principal, who also teaches future educators at a prominent university, has overseen the marginalization and removal of highly capable staff. Due to her own complex trauma, she struggles to set boundaries, often overcommitting and failing to follow through-then placing blame on staff for the fallout. Decisions are frequently made to appease the most dissatisfied parent, rather than based on what is best for students. This has led to a revolving door of educators and a loss of much-needed continuity for students with disabilities. Misalignment Between Public Promises and Reality Despite public claims, Bridges does not offer: - Rigorous, standards-aligned curriculum with measurable outcomes - Ongoing professional development - Equitable access to educational opportunities - A culture of fairness, honesty, or integrity When conflicts arise from this lack of transparency, administration often pits teachers against families and actively excludes educators from important family meetings. While I believe some administrators genuinely hope to create a school that reflects the values stated on the website, they are being actively undermined by longer-serving leaders who resist anything that isn't her idea. It is my hope that this testimony helps shine a light on critical issues that deserve immediate attention-not just from prospective families, but from regulatory bodies, funders, and advocates for educational justice.

Bridges changed my sons life. The teachers were patient and kind. They didn't use punishment as a…read moretool which too often happened at other schools. They treated him with respect and ended up getting it in return. This school actually loves LD kids and kids who think differently. And finally they did a great job his 8th grade year helping us find a good high school and preparing him for the next stage of his education. Nothing bad to say about Bridges Middle School.

I attended Benson polytechnic in the mid to late eighties when this school was known as one of the…read morebest technical schools in the state of Oregon if not the entire United state of America the choices of electives were staggering in scope I majored in Aviation which was not available at any other school in the region at that time I also took German as my foreign language elective I took many other classes which served me well throughout my life however, when I returned for a visit to the campus many years later I found that the school no longer offered German as a language class as it had been replaced by Spanish the school is a mere shadow of its once great self. The campus should have wheelchair access as well as handicapped parking

So far so great! So here I am scared to death because my son is entering his first year in high…read moreschool. Now I have to be honest with the racial tension, COVID-19 and life in general, from day to day you don't always know what to expect. It started last Friday when I made a call to Benson to clarify if my sons school schedule was available. The first voice I encountered was "Norma". This lady was so warm and friendly it scared me. She went on to explain to me in the most professional and warmhearted tone what I needed to do and who I needed to speak with. So as she transfers me, in my head I'm thinking breathe, because there is no way the second staff person I speak with is going to be even half as friendly,informative and professional as "Norma" and guess what, she wasn't, because it was her voicemail. So on Monday, after taking into consideration that I probably was the 100th caller Friday, I reached out to who Norma suggested. An low and behold, I hear the voice of yet another professional, friendly, kind and "how can I help you" voice on the other end of the phone. "Roi San" scheduled a time for us to meet and get everything straightened out. Tuesday my son and I go to the Benson campus @ Marshall and meet these two ladies in person. Same professional, kind, professionals I spoke to prior. Now this may not be a big deal to you, but its HUGE to me. This is a new school, new year, and a new phase of both our lives. There is so much going on in the world and it can literally make you paranoid about everything. It is very comforting and reassuring to know that your child is around people that show a genuine concern for their well being. First impressions are the best impressions and these two have made me a believer out of me. Now things may not always go as smooth, however its good to know that through all the hustle and bustle, Benson has a solid group of staff. I believe these two represent the staff in general and I applaud you all and sincerely thank you all for your dedication. Hats off to Roi San and Norma and I'm sure we'll see each other during the year. I hope and pray for a great school year for all and looking forward to a phenomenal four years for my child.

I love this school. The hallways are bright and lively with the big windows and the open concept…read morebetween the first and second floors just makes everything feel so inviting. I sit next to this girl in my art class though and am having a hard time willing myself to ask her out. Would give another star if it wasn't so hard.

This high school is a sleeper. It is probably one of the best most innovative high schools that I…read morehave witnessed in my life. The programs they offer for students to help them make a successful transition into college and career are without a doubt exceptional. The faculty high spirited, loving and exceptional. If I were in high school all over again, this is where I'd wanna be if I had high school students this is where I'd want them to be if I had grandkids this is where I'd want them to go.

I came here for a CYO football game. The football field is really nice, which I didn't expect for a…read morehigh school. The parking is a little crazy between games, but it all worked out. I love that they have CLEAN porta-potties, which is a relief. They had just been cleaned the day before. That makes a difference, to know they are cared about. I liked that we could stand on the non-dirt track to watch the game, I didn't have to worry about getting all muddy in the unpredictable Oregon weather. I also love the snack shack - I haven't been to one since I was in high school. Now, it would have been nice if my nephew's team had won, but he had a great time playing.