What's the skinny on Portland area schools? (Lake Oswego, West Linn: appointed, transfer to)

[EricaInNJ]

I have heard about the underfunding of Oregon's schools, and I have heard about how Portlanders rallied to help their schools. I've looked at the stats & test scores and know a bit about the certificate of mastery program. I have heard a lot of mixed reviews, but have an overall good feeling about the education system in and around the city.

Now that we are very serious about relocating to the area (in August if all comes together with a job), we need to narrow down an area to live and that will be determined largely by the schools. If anyone has info to share I would appreciate the help SO much!

Here are some things I value in schools:
-strong arts programs
-warm staff who is well conected to students
-emphasis on social emotional learning
-hands on, experiential learning
-applied constructivist theory
-applied multiple inteligence theory
-community involvement
-integrated curriculum
-teachers and students share mutual respect

I have been looking into Trillium Charter School and really like what I see, but need a neighborhood back up school in case all three of my kids don't get in. They've been waitlisted. I have one going into pre-k, kindergarten, and 6th grade.

If you have info or opinions please tell me where you are coming from so I know what your point of reference is. Teacher? Parent? Portland native or transplant?

Thanks so much!

[montimama]

The public school situation is not great in Portland. Yes, there are some good charter schools and with the lottery system, there are ways of getting a good public education but it's not easy since everybody is trying to do the same thing and there are a limited number of spots. I am a parent of a second grader and I also have a child in preschool and that seems to be the general consensus of most parents I meet and know. I'm originally from the Chicago suburbs where you'd be hard-pressed to find a BAD public school but none the less, here we are.

I would suggest moving to the Laurelhurst School area. It is currently K-5 with very good marks and will be transitioning to K-8 starting this fall. They are one of the few public programs that still encourage the arts but most importantly, you'd be able to have all of your children attend the same school. Some other areas that have good elementary as well as middle school programs would be: Glencoe/Mt. Tabor, Chapman or Ainsworth/West Sylvan, Reike/Jackson, Hollyrood/Fernwood (also transitioning into a K-8 so you might want to check into that one, too). Laurelhurst or Fernwood wouldn't be too bad of a commute if not all of your children got into Trillium.

Lake Oswego and West Linn are known for their great schools but they lack the culture and old-fashioned neighborhoods that you find in Portland. The suburbs here aren't anything like the suburbs back east, unfortunately. And they don't have sidewalks which I think is the worst thing about them!

[smhi]

I'm looking into relocating to Portland as well, and I'm curious as to how you were able to get onto the wait list when you haven't yet moved there...
thanks

[oldtintype]

You might want to look into Buckman (which is a neighborhood school as well as a magnet school). They have an amazing arts curriculum, good community feeling, etc. but it's only K-5. Also, look into Sunnyside Environmental School which is K-8. Buckman and Sunnyside were part of our top choices for my soon to be Kindergartener. We were also interested in MLC and Trillium. We got a spot a Trillium for next year in K so we'll be going there as it was our first choice. Where are your kids on the waitlists?

[EricaInNJ]

Thanks for the info, montimama and oldtintype! There is so much research to do! I am coming to portland this Friday, so I am lining up school visits.

smhi, I got on the waitlist at Trillium just by calling and telling them we are relocating and sending the applications. It was no big deal to them that we don't have a Portland address yet...

My oldest, going into 6th graded is #6 on the waitlist so I think our chances are decent. I was told by the school that, in the past, about everyone on the waitlist got in by Sept. or Oct.

My middle one going into K is #26 which makes me a tad nervous, but I was also told that if the one kid gets in this year than the others will definitely next year because of sibling priotrity.

Does anyone have a clear picture of how the magnet system in PDX works? What is the process for applying? How are your chances of getting in? Are only some of the schools magnets? What happens in you miss the deadline? Have I missed the deadline?

I live in Montclair, NJ which has a magnet system too. Just wondering what the differences are.

[oldtintype]

Yes, you've missed the deadline so you'd have to wait until next year to apply (for the 2008-2009 school year). The transfer system is really tough for popular schools. We applied to transfer to Buckman or Sunnyside and learned today that we didn't even get waitlisted at either. If you go on to the PPS site you can click on the transfer link and access previous lottery information such as available spots vs. applicants and so on. I think last year Buckman had something like 40 spots and 150 applicants (I'm guessing--I just remember the numbers were large) so obviously only a small amount of people get in. I also applied to several charter schools and was waitlisted everywhere but Trillium and I was also wait listed for MLC, which has its own application process. It's pretty tough unless you're applying for a school that's less popular.

Some schools are magnets, some schools people just apply to because of the test scores or location. My local school is Chapman which has excellent test scores but I don't think my son would do well there so I was looking into magnet schools and charter schools for more flexible curriculums than a "traditional" school. Some people on the flip side applied to transfer to Chapman for the test scores, wealth of the school, etc. and aren't going to get in because there were only a few transfer spots available and are probably bitterly disappointed, yet here I am in the area and don't want my child to go there. So it really just depends on what you're looking for and what the odds are based on the popularity of the school.

Here's a link to the PPS transfer page--it has all that info on it.
http://enrollment.pps.k12.or.us/.docs/pg/11193

For what it's worth, my son has Asperger's so I did a lot of research into schools looking for a place where he could be accepted for who he was and where there would be flexibility for his learning style. I based my choices on that, as well as looking for a school with involved, down to earth parents since I plan on volunteering, as well as want my son to be accepted for who is and not looked at as being "bad" for being different, etc.