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Portland Public Schools, Oregon

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Portland Public Schools
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Portland, Oregon
District details
Superintendent: Kimberlee Armstrong
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Portland Public Schools is a school district in Oregon.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong is the superintendent of Portland Public Schools. Armstrong was appointed superintendent effective July 2024. Her previous career experience includes working as a teacher, coach, principal, and deputy superintendent.[1][2]

Past superintendents

  • Guadalupe Guerrero was the superintendent of Portland Public Schools. Guerrero was appointed superintendent on October 2, 2017 and served until July 2024. Guerrero's previous career experience includes working as the deputy superintendent of instruction, innovation, and social justice of the San Francisco Unified School District.[3]
  • Bob McKean was the interim superintendent of Portland Public Schools from 2016 to 2017.[4]
  • Carole Smith was the superintendent of Portland Public Schools from 2007 to 2016.[5]

School board

The Portland Board of Education consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms.[6]

Elections

See also: Portland Public Schools, Oregon, elections

Members of the Portland Board of Education are elected to four-year terms. While elected at large, each seat on the board has a zone number associated with it, and candidates must live in the zone they run for. The seat numbers correlate to geographic areas in the district. Candidates file to run for a specific seat in the zone of their residence, but all voters in the school district are eligible to vote for any seat up for election. Three or four seats are up for election on a staggered basis every odd-numbered year in May.[7]

Three seats on the board were up for general election and one seat was up for special election on May 20, 2025. The filing deadline was March 20, 2025.

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


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Public participation in board meetings

The Portland Public Schools school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[8]

Public Comment at Board Meetings

Public Involvement

The Portland Public Schools Board of Education highly values public input in making important decisions that affect Portland's children. They also believe in the right of community members to observe Board meetings.

The public is invited to attend public Board meetings to gain a better understanding of school district business and the role of the School Board. The public is also invited to address the Board during the public comment portion of the Board meetings.

General Public Meeting Guidelines

To ensure the public has an opportunity to attend School Board meetings and offer comment, and to ensure that the Board can conduct the important business of the District, speakers must observe certain basic rules of conduct. The following guidelines apply to all public comment.

  • All members of the public attending School Board meetings should treat each other and the Board with respect.
  • Individuals are not permitted to engage in conduct that interferes with the ability of other individuals to watch the Board meetings or offer public comment to the Board, or with the ability of the Board to conduct its business.
  • Those wishing to display placards, signs and/or banners may remain seated in the Boardroom with signs held below chin level so as to not block any attendee's view of the proceedings.
  • Public meetings are open for the public to attend in person up to the capacity of the Boardroom (70 people) and will be streamed live under the provision of ORS 192.670 at: https://www.youtube.com/@ppsboardofeducation/live

Signing up for Public Comment

Requests to provide public comment can be made via email to publiccomment@pps.net or by calling the Board Office at 503-916-3741. Requests should include:

  • Full name
  • Pronouns
  • Topic (required)
  • Date requested
  • School community
  • Phone number and whether text communication is okay
  • Whether you are a student
  • Whether you plan to attend in person or virtually

Requests must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Walk-up requests are accepted, if space permits, during the fifteen minutes prior to the meeting and must be received before the meeting begins.

If an interpreter is needed, please notify the Board Office at least 48 hours in advance.

Written Comment

Written public comments can be emailed to publiccomment@pps.net and will be shared with the Board and Student Representative.

Guidelines for Public Comment

  • Public comment is an opportunity for the Board and Superintendent to hear issues of interest; however, it does not allow for dialogue between speakers, the Board, or the Superintendent.
  • It is requested that individuals offering public comment not make personal attacks on any District employee, Board member, other testifier, or member of the public. Complaints about individual employees should be directed to the Superintendent’s office as a personnel matter.
  • For follow-up on issues raised during public comment, please contact Board Manager Rosanne Powell (rpowell@pps.net)
  • All spots for public comment are allocated in the order they are received, unless otherwise indicated.
  • Spots may not be shared or transferred to others.
  • Videos or PowerPoint presentations may not accompany public testimony.
  • Public Comment may be provided in person or virtually.
  • Comment on a specific Board Action Item will take place during that agenda item. If the action item is canceled, postponed, or withdrawn, comment will be subject to availability of general public comment.

Providing Comment at a Meeting

  • The Board Clerk will announce the names of speakers, calling up to four people at a time. Each person should make their way to the table at the front and must speak into the microphone.
  • Speakers must state and spell their last name before beginning. At a Regular Meeting, speakers will have up to three minutes and thirty seconds to provide comment.
    • A green light will appear during the first two minutes of testimony, a yellow light will indicate one minute remaining, and a red light with a buzzer will signal that the speaker has 30 seconds to conclude.
  • At a Committee Meeting, speakers will have up to two minutes.
    • A green light will appear during the first minute of testimony, a yellow light will indicate one minute remaining, and a red light with a buzzer will signal to promptly wrap up comments.
  • Written copies of comments or any supporting documents may be submitted the Board Clerk at the meeting (provide 12 printed copies) or emailed to publiccomment@pps.net.


The Board appreciates your input and thanks you for your cooperation.[9]

District map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[10]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $66,621,000 $1,419 7%
Local: $558,742,000 $11,897 60%
State: $311,343,000 $6,629 33%
Total: $936,706,000 $19,945
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $1,152,215,000 $24,533
Total Current Expenditures: $753,733,000 $16,048
Instructional Expenditures: $392,016,000 $8,346 34%
Student and Staff Support: $149,127,000 $3,175 13%
Administration: $120,908,000 $2,574 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $91,682,000 $1,952 8%
Total Capital Outlay: $288,958,000 $6,152
Construction: $282,854,000 $6,022
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $8,194,000 $174
Interest on Debt: $76,076,000 $1,619


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

School year Minimum Maximum
2024-2025[11] $55,539 $108,071
2022-2023[12] $50,020 $97,333
2020-2021[13] $43,382 $88,216

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[14]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 <=10 PS <50 PS <50 <50
2018-2019 46 51 10 23 20-24 46 58
2017-2018 48 52 12 24 20-24 49 60
2016-2017 49 54 11 25 25-29 50 61
2015-2016 51 56 15 27 30-34 52 63
2014-2015 51 56 17 27 30-34 52 63
2013-2014 67 73 35 46 50-54 71 78
2012-2013 67 73 36 47 50-54 70 77
2011-2012 67 73 38 48 50-54 69 77
2010-2011 65 72 36 46 51 70 76

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 50-59 PS <50 PS <50 60-79
2018-2019 58 58 20 36 30-34 59 71
2017-2018 61 59 22 38 35-39 63 74
2016-2017 60 62 23 38 35-39 62 73
2015-2016 61 62 26 40 40-44 63 74
2014-2015 62 61 29 40 40-44 63 74
2013-2014 75 73 47 55 60-64 80 85
2012-2013 75 74 49 57 65-69 78 86
2011-2012 76 73 52 57 65-69 79 86
2010-2011 80 80 61 64 70 85 89

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 84 87 77 77 40-59 82 87
2018-2019 81 85-89 73 72 60-79 77 84
2017-2018 80 89 71 72 40-49 75-79 83
2016-2017 78 91 65 72 50-59 75-79 82
2015-2016 75 80-84 68 65 40-59 70-74 80
2014-2015 74 86 66 65 50-54 70-74 77
2013-2014 70 81 60 56 40-49 65-69 76
2012-2013 67 75-79 53 57 40-44 65-69 72
2011-2012 63 74 53 54 25-29 60-64 68
2010-2011 62 73 55 49 40-44 50-54 67


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 44,740 -1.0
2021-2022 45,171 -4.0
2020-2021 46,965 -3.5
2019-2020 48,601 -0.2
2018-2019 48,710 0.2
2017-2018 48,591 0.9
2016-2017 48,173 -0.4
2015-2016 48,345 1.1
2014-2015 47,806 1.0
2013-2014 47,323 1.2
2012-2013 46,748 -0.4
2011-2012 46,930 2.4
2010-2011 45,818 0.2
2009-2010 45,748 1.6
2008-2009 45,024 -2.7
2007-2008 46,262 -0.2
2006-2007 46,348 3.9
2005-2006 44,538 -7.0
2004-2005 47,649 -1.5
2003-2004 48,344 -6.8
2002-2003 51,654 -2.4
2001-2002 52,908 -0.4
2000-2001 53,141 -0.8
1999-2000 53,587 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Portland Public Schools (%) Oregon K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.5 1.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 5.7 4.0
Black 8.2 2.3
Hispanic 16.9 25.3
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.7 0.8
Two or More Races 12.0 7.2
White 54.7 58.7

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Portland Public Schools had 2,740.39 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.33.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 52.58
Kindergarten: 222.72
Elementary: 1,658.05
Secondary: 807.04
Total: 2,740.39

Portland Public Schools employed 21.14 district administrators and 182.48 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 21.14
District Administrative Support: 49.05
School Administrators: 182.48
School Administrative Support: 240.63
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 667.60
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 134.89
Total Guidance Counselors: 165.92
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 65.78
Library/Media Support: 24.00
Student Support Services: 344.06
Other Support Services: 5,538.38


Schools

Portland Public Schools operates 86 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Abernethy Elementary School353KG-5
Ainsworth Elementary School563KG-5
Alameda Elementary School538KG-5
Alliance High School1939-12
Arleta Elementary School256KG-5
Astor Elementary School368KG-8
Atkinson Elementary School337KG-5
Beach Elementary School346PK-5
Beaumont Middle School4466-8
Benson Polytechnic High School8249-12
Beverly Cleary School604KG-8
Boise-Eliot Elementary School326PK-5
Bridger Elementary School329KG-5
Bridlemile Elementary School458KG-5
Buckman Elementary School395KG-5
Capitol Hill Elementary School333KG-5
Cesar Chavez K-8 School466KG-8
Chapman Elementary School350KG-5
Chief Joseph Elementary School261KG-5
Cleveland High School1,5479-12
Creative Science School423KG-8
Creston Elementary School260KG-5
Da Vinci Middle School4346-8
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School302PK-5
Duniway Elementary School422KG-5
Emerson School106KG-5
Faubion Elementary School610PK-8
Forest Park Elementary School328KG-5
Franklin High School1,9669-12
George Middle School3876-8
Glencoe Elementary School394KG-5
Grant High School2,1569-12
Gray Middle School4836-8
Grout Elementary School316KG-5
Harriet Tubman Middle School3606-8
Harrison Park School573KG-8
Hayhurst Elementary School575KG-8
Hosford Middle School5666-8
Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School1,5569-12
Irvington Elementary School228KG-5
Jackson Middle School7916-8
James John Elementary School337KG-5
Jefferson High School6069-12
Kairos Pdx245KG-5
Kellogg Middle School6586-8
Kelly Elementary School355KG-5
Lane Middle School3346-8
Laurelhurst Elementary School674KG-8
Lee Elementary School274KG-5
Le Monde French Immersion Public Charter School381KG-8
Lent Elementary School251KG-5
Leodis V. Mcdaniel High School1,4409-12
Lewis Elementary School320KG-5
Lincoln High School1,5259-12
Llewellyn Elementary School413KG-5
Maplewood Elementary School310KG-5
Markham Elementary School426KG-5
Marysville Elementary School286KG-5
Metropolitan Learning Center348KG-12
Mt Tabor Middle School6066-8
Ockley Green Middle School4836-8
Peninsula Elementary School225KG-5
Portland Arthur Academy Charter School150KG-5
Portland Village School410KG-8
Richmond Elementary School539PK-5
Rieke Elementary School300KG-5
Rigler Elementary School223KG-5
Roosevelt High School1,4849-12
Rosa Parks Elementary School197PK-5
Rose City Park467KG-5
Roseway Heights School5766-8
Sabin Elementary School312PK-5
Scott Elementary School450KG-5
Sellwood Middle School5636-8
Sitton Elementary School345KG-5
Skyline Elementary School215KG-8
Stephenson Elementary School307KG-5
Sunnyside Environmental School465KG-8
Vernon Elementary School555PK-8
Vestal Elementary School230KG-5
West Sylvan Middle School7576-8
Whitman Elementary School153KG-5
Winterhaven School313KG-8
Woodlawn Elementary School287PK-5
Woodmere Elementary School234KG-5
Woodstock Elementary School491KG-5

Contact information

Portland Public Schools seal.jpg

Portland Public Schools
501 N. Dixon St.
Portland, OR 97227
Phone: 503-916-2000


About school boards

Education legislation in Oregon

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Oregon School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. OPB, "Portland Public Schools announces Evergreen’s Kimberlee Armstrong as next superintendent," June 4, 2024
  2. Portland Public Schools, "Our Superintendent," accessed April 18, 2025
  3. Portland Public Schools, "Our Superintendent," accessed November 12, 2019
  4. Portland Public Schools, "Bob McKean's Biography," accessed December 10, 2016
  5. The Oregonian, "Carole Smith stepping down immediately as Portland superintendent in wake of lead controversy," July 18, 2016
  6. Portland Public Schools, "Board of Education," accessed March 1, 2016
  7. Portland Public Schools, "1.20.010-P Board of Education," accessed April 19, 2021
  8. Portland Public Schools, "Public Comment at Board Meetings," accessed April 18, 2025
  9. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  10. National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
  11. [https://www.pps.net/cms/lib/OR01913224/Centricity/Domain/56/PAT%20Salary%20Schedule%202024-2025_193%20Day.pdf Portland Public Schools, "PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS SALARY SCHEDULE FOR JULY 1, 2024 - JUNE 30, 2025," accessed April 18, 2025]
  12. Portland Public Schools, "SALARY SCHEDULE FOR JULY 1, 2022 ‐ JUNE 30, 2023 PeopleSoft APPENDIX A‐1," accessed February 6, 2024
  13. Portland Public Schools, "192 Day Salary Schedule Effective July 1, 2019," accessed April 19, 2021
  14. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021