Updated February 10, 2021

Portland Public Schools offers Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian and Japanese.

Interested in having your child participate in a Dual Language Immersion program?  The Enrollment and Transfer Center manages the application process.

Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Entry Process FAQ (2021)

DLI Family Expectations

Join Us On February 18 online to learn more!

Español | Tiếng Việt | 中文 | Soomaali | Русский

We want to invite you to join us for an informational event for families with students who will be in grades K-5 in the 2021-22 school year.       

Who should attend? We welcome all families to this event. PPS will host a virtual Explore Your Options event on Thursday, February 18 from 6-8 p.m., for families with K-5 students interested in thematic focus options, alternative and charter schools, and dual language immersion programs. 

About this event: There will be a general session to learn about connecting to your neighborhood school and applying for transfer, followed by three chances for deeper explorations in school breakout rooms.

Interpreters will be available: The general session and dual language program break out rooms will be available in multiple languages, and interpretation will be available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin and American Sign Language.

DLI Entry at Kindergarten:
Students entering Kindergarten must apply through the School Choice Lottery  at www.pps.net/schoolchoice. Informational meetings will be available online and include the DLI Family Expectations. If slots are still open after the lottery closes, DLI programs may continue to receive kindergarten applications. The lottery typically takes place in February/March of each year with results in late April/early May. Please see the Enrollment and Transfer Center website for more informaion: www.pps.net/schoolchoice.

The informational meetings will take place online this year between February and May and can be found on the Connect to Kindergarten page.  

DLI Late Entry (Grades 1-12):
At grade levels beyond kindergarten, families must submit a petition transfer request.  In order for petitions to be approved, space must be available at the specific grade level and school.  If space is identified, partner language learners must pass a language proficiency assessment demonstrating that they are on grade level in reading, writing, speaking and listening in the partner language.  Assessments for Late Entry are conducted in June, as well as right before school starts.
 
Petition transfer requests for the 2020/2021 school year will be accepted on a rolling basis. 

You can apply and find out more about the application process on the Enrollment and Transfer Center website.