Welcome to Kindergarten at
Richmond Elementary School!

A Message From Our Principal

Thank you for expressing an interest in Portland Public School’s only Japanese dual language immersion (JDLI) elementary school program! At Richmond we serve about 530 students at the kindergarten through 5th grade levels, and our JDLI learners at Richmond K-5 are promoted on to Mt. Tabor Middle School, then Grant High School. 

We are a 100% lottery based school so we welcome students from all over the PPS school boundaries as well as a few interdistrict transfers from outside of PPS. 

PPS school buses are provided within the PPS school boundaries, and we offer many after school care options for students. After school activities at Richmond typically run from 2:45-3:45 and offer enrichment opportunities such as guitar, ukulele, theater, martial arts, basketball, Lego STEAM, and more!  In addition, we offer onsite after school care from 2:30-6:00 through our Art4Life program, and we offer offsite care with transportation provided from Richmond through programs such as One With Heart, Trackers, The Hangout, and other local childcare options. 

School hours are from 8:00-2:30 each day and we offer a 50/50 JDLI program, which means your child will engage in Japanese language learning for 50% of their day and English learning for the other 50% of their day. 

Richmond teachers use the same PPS approved curriculum to teach English literacy & language arts, math, science, social studies, health, and social-emotional learning lessons so your child receives the same high quality education as their peers attending non-DLI neighborhood schools in PPS. Research shows that DLI students typically achieve at the same or higher academic levels as their peers in non-DLI schools. 

The Japanese half of their day is taught by our expert dual language staff who have dedicated many years to providing an engaging and meaningful Japanese language learning experience for our K-5 students. Our JDLI parent organization, Oya No Kai, also provides us with college interns from Japan who volunteer in our Japanese classrooms as educational assistants and after school tutors.

All Richmond students will also attend Specials classes each day of the week — two days each week in Physical Education (PE) and Art, as well as one day each week in our school library, which offers a book collection in both English and Japanese. These enrichment opportunities are directly built into our core JDLI program. 

One of the reasons our school community is so inclusive and supportive is because of the diverse and supportive parents and caretakers who continue to choose Richmond as their school. 

Our amazing PTA hosts multicultural events, incredible festivals, and exciting fundraisers. We also provide affinity groups such as our Black Student Union (BSU) and LGBTQIA+ Student Groups. In addition to these enrichment opportunities made possible by our school community members, our Japanese teachers and parent volunteers work together to provide Japanese cultural events during the school day such as mochi tasting, curry rice lunch day, New Year’s celebrations, and much more. 

If you are looking for a public (no tuition!) elementary school experience that values diversity and inclusion, uplifts multicultural learning spaces, believes in the cognitive benefits of a dual language education, and is dedicated to creating positive partnerships between families and schools, then Richmond is the perfect place for you!

I look forward to welcoming you and your student into our JDLI program. Please be sure to check out the resources linked from our Open House before applying to the lottery. 

-Principal Stacy Eto (she/her)

Interested in learning more about our Japanese dual language immersion program at Richmond Elementary School? Please watch our video!

On February 3, 2025 we held an open house for prospective families. Below is the slideshow Principal Stacy Eto presented to our guests. Click here for a recording of the open house. The recording includes both the Richmond JDLI video and the slideshow presentation.

Below is Connect to Kindergarten information from the district regarding enrollment in your neighborhood schools.