The Private School Primer

BY DENISE CASTAÑON AND TIFFANY HILL

If your family is looking for choices beyond your neighborhood public school, Portland is home to several excellent private schools. Organized by quadrant, this list showcases local education options.

Southwest

Bridges Middle School
2510 SW 1st Ave.
Bridges is the only middle school in Oregon specifically designed for students with learning differences to reach their maximum potential — in a loving, nurturing atmosphere centrally located in downtown Portland.

Catlin Gabel
8825 SW Barnes Rd.
Catlin Gabel (pictured bottom) is one of the most prestigious schools in Portland (and Oregon). This independent, progressive education school fuels curiosity from preschool to high school and has a 10-to-1 student-teacher ratio.

Cedarwood Waldorf School
3030 SW 2nd Ave.
Located just minutes from downtown Portland, Cedarwood Waldorf School’s (pictured left)curriculum weaves together the arts, academics and movement to bring learning to life for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Northwest Academy
1130 SW Main St.
Northwest Academy is a progressive, independent middle and high school college-preparatory program that inspires students to learn and achieve through its unique academic and arts partnership.

Oregon Episcopal School
6300 SW Nicol Rd.
Nestled within 59 wooded acres that include natural wetlands, nature trails, ropes courses and gardens in Southwest Portland, Oregon Episcopal School offers an inquiry-based educational experience for pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

Portland Jewish Academy
6651 SW Capitol Hwy.
Portland Jewish Academy provides an academically rich environment that supports each student’s personal growth and development, from 6 weeks through eighth grade.

Northwest

Cathedral School
110 NW 17th Ave.
An Apple-distinguished school where academic excellence meets Catholic tradition in Northwest Portland. Cathedral School has small class sizes, 1-to-1 iPad-to-student ratio, before/after care and welcomes all faiths.

Childpeace Montessori School
1516 NW Thurman St.
Students from ages 14 months through middle school discover their interests, cultivate their talents and become self-directed learners on this campus specializing in Montessori education.

French American International School
8500 NW Johnson St.
Discover why immersion is so much more than learning another language at Portland’s oldest immersion school, and the only International Baccalaureate school for preschool to eighth grade.

Northeast

St. Andrew Nativity School
4925 NE 9th Ave.
This Catholic, Jesuit middle school is tuition-free and serves low-income students of all faiths. St. Andrew Nativity School focuses on preparing students for college and a life of service to their community.

Trinity Lutheran Christian School
5520 NE Killingsworth St.
At Trinity Lutheran Christian School academic excellence is just one part of the development of the whole child; the school values spiritual, mental, emotional, social and physical well-being as well as Christian service to others.

North

Holy Cross Catholic School
5202 N Bowdoin St.
Serving preschool to eighth-grade students, Holy Cross Catholic School seeks to build life-long learners and faith-filled Christians. Tuition assistance is available.

Holy Redeemer Catholic School
127 N Rosa Parks Way
Since its founding in 1908, Holy Redeemer Catholic School (pictured right) has sought to educate the minds and cultivate the hearts of its preschool through eighth-grade students.

Suburbs

Arbor School of Arts and Sciences
4201 SW Borland Rd., Tualatin
The Arbor School of Arts and Sciences (pictured above) is a K-8 school located on 21 acres of wooded farmland. Children remain with the same teachers for at least two years of their schooling; Arbor School believes mixed-age grouping creates classrooms that focus on individual talents and collaboration rather than on grade-level norms.

German International School
3900 SW Murray Blvd., Beaverton
With the options of full-immersion Mandarin or German, The German International School seeks to inspire students to be lifelong learners and independent thinkers. In addition to their preschool and elementary school programs, the school will start offering a middle school program in the fall of 2023.

International Leadership Academy
14788 Boones Ferry Rd., Lake Oswego
A French immersion school for preschool through fifth grade, the International Leadership Academy strives to provide a stimulating learning environment with a technological, artistic and critical-thinking orientation for their students. And the staff members, many of whom were born abroad, help bring the school’s vision of a world where people respect, accept and embrace each other’s differences to life.

Southeast

Franciscan Montessori Earth School
14750 SE Clinton St.
Since 1977, the Franciscan Montessori Earth School (pictured above) has helped inspire children to expand their minds, nurture their spirits, and steward the earth.

Tucker Maxon School
2860 SE Holgate Blvd.
Tucker Maxon utilizes the IDEA approach: inclusion, diversity, equity and access. The school features small classes with new state-of-the-art HVAC and air filtration systems, plus a treehouse, a greenhouse and outdoor classrooms.

South

A Renaissance School of Arts and Sciences
234 S. Bancroft St.
At Ren School, questions lead to learning through field studies, lab and studio work and multi-layered collaborative projects that unfold with adult guidance. Small class sizes at this kindergarten through fifth grade and middle school allow for integrating art, design, science and engineering into daily learning.

International School of Portland
2305 S Water Ave.
The International School of Portland offers full Japanese, Chinese or Spanish language and cultural immersion to help shape children who are open-minded, confident, empathetic and inclusive — traits that encourage them to take responsible action within and beyond the school community. Classes go from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

For more information on private schools, check out our Private School Guide.