• About Our School

    Meriwether Lewis Elementary School has been welcoming children and their families for over 50 years. Located in the Woodstock neighborhood of Southeast Portland, Lewis sits on a parcel of land where orchards and gardens grew. The legacy of this is reflected in the various garden spaces at Lewis. Our school offers students an opportunity to excel in an environment that encourages creativity, responsibility and community.

    Lewis has a tradition of providing students with an instrumental music program, visual arts focus, strong parent support and involvement, and the high quality education provided to our students by a highly qualified staff. Lewis is committed to a strong literacy and mathematics program. Specialized support in reading and math are provided in addition to regular classroom instruction. All students take part in weekly music classes provided by our music teacher. In addition opportunities exist for students to participate in Recorder Club, Level 1 & Level 2 band, and our Orff ensemble, Boomin Beats.

    Mission Statement

    “At Lewis, we nurture personal growth within a supportive community. 
    We encourage curiosity, seek innovation, and embrace inclusion.”

    Special Features and Programs

    • Gardens
    • Instrumental music and band
    • Discipline-Based art education
    • Physical Education classes
    • Fully staffed Library
    • SMART Reading Program
    • Reed College science partnership
    • Outdoor Science Camp experience for fifth grade students

    Parent and Community Support

    Lewis enjoys vigorous parent and community support. We have a strong and active PTA and Foundation that helps sponsor and support many school wide activities. In addition parents and community members are actively encouraged to volunteer in classrooms. The faculty and staff of Lewis are committed to a high level of parent involvement and are proud of our high level of parent participation and support.

    The Woodstock community is an active partner providing support for school ground improvements such as our new play structure and the planting of playground trees.

    Art at Lewis: The Right Brain Initiative (RBI)

    The future is going to be a whole new ballgame. Whether it’s cleaning up our oceans or working on self-driving cars, one thing we know is the world is going to be way different than it is today. And that means people are going to need every ounce of their brains to figure it out. Every bit of our imaginations, innovations and abilities will be needed to see things in new ways, or invent things we have yet to understand.

    The Right Brain Initiative is here to help change the way kids learn in the Portland metro area by bringing discovery, collaboration and creativity into the classroom. Creative thinking is the secret sauce when supporting kids’ abilities to problem solve, innovate and think critically. By introducing new ways to learn, kids will become more engaged students.

    The Right Brain Initiative effects change by:

    • Training educators to weave creative thinking into core subjects
    • Enabling collaboration between the arts community and K-8 teachers in the Portland region’s school districts
    • Being community partners, bringing together the resources of artists, school districts, local governments and businesses to delight, challenge and empower kids


    Sustainable Schools Award

           Meriwether Lewis Elementary School has been acknowledged with an Oregon Sustainable School Award. We were acknowledged for our work in the area of Healthy, Safe Students and Staff.

           The Oregon Sustainable School Awards are offered as a joint project of the Oregon Department of Education and the Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative (SOSI). This award program is part of a dual application that also includes the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School Recognition Program.

           The Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative (SOSI) facilitates the integration of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable concepts and practices into all educational and operational activities of our K-12 school system so that schools and communities are able to prepare our children to create and succeed in a sustainable future. SOSI is coordinated by the Sustainable Schools Collaborative.