Portland Public Schools

The District is opening new middle schools at Roseway Heights and Harriet Tubman as part of an effort to offer more equitable middle grades education in those communities. This is a large and complex task that involves dozens of PPS schools, programs and departments. A look at the progress of some of the related projects:

Rose City Park School

Principal Jeremy Cohen welcomed over 100 parents and students to his Pizza with Your New Principal event on Monday, April 9 at Rose City Park School. The night was a chance for families to learn more about the new principal and to see the school their children will be attending for the 2018-19 school year, when it becomes an elementary school.

Roseway Heights Middle School

Over 225 people showed up for the student-led tours of Roseway Heights in March.  In attendance were families from Scott, Lee, Vestal and Roseway Heights K-8, as well as a few families with future Roseway Heights students.

The next community meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 18 at Roseway Heights from 6:30-8:30 p.m. A light dinner will be available, as well as interpretation services for Spanish, Vietnamese and Somali languages, and childcare for children 4 and older. 

Harriet Tubman Middle School

Work continues to prepare the campus to open in the fall. Fencing has been placed around the school perimeter, and work on replacing the roof is under way. Air quality testing is being completed by Portland State University.

Any updated information will be posted on the middle school page of the district website.

Pioneer School update

Cost escalation and difficulties in getting city permits led to a decision by the district not to move Pioneer to Applegate and Rice schools.  Pioneer students will stay in their current location for the 2018-19 school year. 

ACCESS Academy

An ACCESS parent/teacher/district leadership Advisory Group has been formed with the purpose of advising the district leadership team in identifying a location for the program in both the short term and long term.

The advisory group will address a variety of factors involved in making a final decision, including: facility capabilities, boundaries, programmatic and staffing needs, and requirements for successful implementation. The group will provide their own expertise in forming a recommendation to the Superintendent.