PPS Plans to Close Several Schools by Fall 2027

Portland Public Schools could close five to 10 of its 74 elementary, K–8, middle, and alternative schools by the start of the 2027–28 academic year, Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong said at a Tuesday morning press conference.

In an early timeline presented to the Portland School Board, the district plans to engage families through spring, summer and fall before Armstrong makes her recommendations on a list by late fall 2026. The School Board will need to approve or modify that recommendation by the end of the year, and the district will iron out transition processes through the first half of 2027.

The consolidations come as PPS has seen its enrollment decline 12% from 48,708 in the 2018–19 school year to 42,622 in the current academic year. Projections indicate enrollment could fall another 12% by the 2035–36 academic year.

Declining enrollment is a key factor in PPS’s string of budget deficits, and will likely play a role in informing which schools are chosen for closure. (Case in point: PPS officials did not consider schools with enrollments under 300 for seismic improvements with May 2025 bond funds.)

PPS will consider many other factors in the process, including where multifamily housing might be most available in the future and school facility concerns, Armstrong said.

Many national education researchers have said school closures often don’t save districts much money unless staffing is also condensed during the process.

“It’s not millions of dollars that are saved from closing a school,” Armstrong said, nodding to that reality. Instead, closing schools presents “the opportunity to optimize school communities and make sure our schools are well resourced, and that we’re able to provide things for all of our schools in a way that responds to the needs of the students.”

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