Up to 20 Portland elementary, K-8 and middle schools could close by fall 2027 after five of seven board members backed the plan.

Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong announced the expanded target on Aug. 26, the first day of school. The 10-to-20 range doubles the five to 10 closures she estimated in spring 2026. The district faces a projected $65.2 million budget gap for the 2027-28 school year and declining enrollment that shows no sign of reversing.

The Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) opposes the closures. At the board's Sept. 1 meeting at Grant High School, union members filled the first two rows wearing blue T-shirts and holding signs reading "Protect our students, protect our public schools."

PAT President Alisha Chavez told the board that educators have already absorbed years of cuts. "Educators are being told every day: Take furloughs, volunteer your time constantly, accept layoffs, take more students, take bigger classes, do more with less," she said. "And now we're supposed to accept that closing schools is somehow part of the solution."

The numbers behind the plan

Portland Public Schools operates 45 elementary schools, 11 K-8 schools and 15 middle schools. District modeling shows that without closures, 37 of 45 elementary schools and 13 of 15 middle schools would fall below target enrollment thresholds by the 2031-32 school year, Willamette Week reported. Oregon's Quality Education Model sets those thresholds at 360 students per elementary school and 500 per middle school.

As of the 2025-26 school year, just 27% of PPS elementary schools met the 360-student mark. Only 40% of middle schools topped 500 students, according to district modeling published Aug. 28.

Demographers at Portland State University project enrollment will keep falling, reaching about 36,000 students by 2039. That is 15% fewer than the current 42,785, The Oregonian reported. High housing costs, low birth rates and families choosing private or online schools are driving the decline.

Board split 5-2

The board did not take a formal vote on Sept. 1.

Five members gave Armstrong the go-ahead: Chair Eddie Wang, Vice Chair Rashelle Chase-Miller and Directors Virginia La Forte, Michelle DePass and Patte Sullivan said they were willing to let staff model plans closing up to 20 schools.

DePass said she supported the larger scale. "If it takes a greater magnitude of rightsizing to get to the outcome that is the vision of a district that serves all of our schools equally, I'd say go big," she told Willamette Week.

Two members pushed back. Board member Christy Splitt said the jump from five-to-10 to 10-to-20 shook her. She said she would prefer a "scalpel approach" rather than closing a quarter of the district's schools. Board member Stephanie Engelsman said she would rather the district first try redrawing attendance boundaries.

Union sees layoffs ahead

The union's concern goes beyond buildings. PPS employed 2,731 teachers for 47,908 students in 2017-18. By 2024-25, enrollment had dropped more than 10% to 42,785 students, but the teacher count fell just 1% to 2,701, according to Willamette Week's analysis of state data.

Chavez told Willamette Week she worries that state law allows administrators who previously worked as educators to retain seniority as contract teachers, displacing newer teachers when schools close.

Valerie Feder, the district's director of media relations, told Willamette Week that PPS does not expect closures to produce "significant net savings in the short term." She did not offer specifics on expected savings, the outlet reported.

PAT contract negotiations with PPS begin in January 2027. The union said in spring 2026 it planned to recruit candidates for the school board, where four seats are up for election in spring 2027.

What comes next

The district plans to release more details by mid-September on how many buildings could make the list. Armstrong said PPS will present a draft list of closure scenarios in November, with a board vote in early December. Buildings could begin closing in fall 2027.