Parents for Neighborhood Schools
Rightsizing the Right Way
The PPS School Board is currently identifying up to ten schools in the district that will be closed as of the 2027-28 school year. This process, called rightsizing, is a painful, but necessary process.
Parents for Neighborhood Schools was formed to draw attention to the importance of keeping as many neighborhood schools in tact and shedding light on the increased disinvestment in these communities over the past decades.
The current system funnels millions of public dollars away from neighborhood schools into specialized programs that concentrate resources and privilege where 6,223 students opted out of their neighborhood schools for focus options or charter schools in the 2025–26 school year and with them ~$57 million was redirected away from neighborhood classrooms based on direct school funding (~$99 million districtwide).
Source: Portland Public Schools (PPS) District Area Schools Map
When we underinvest in community schools, we don’t just lose students; we lose the fabric of our neighborhoods. Strong local schools create vibrant, interconnected communities. Here is what happens when we prioritize investing locally:
Stronger Community Bonds: Neighborhood schools act as community hubs where parents, neighbors, and local businesses naturally connect and support one another.
Less Commuting, More Living: Shorter commute times mean safer streets, lower transportation costs for the district, and more time for kids to be kids.
Equity Across the District: Every zip code deserves a well-funded school with robust programming, up-to-date technology, and passionate educators.
Why Neighborhood Schools Matter.
“Instead of asking how to strengthen the public schools families already rely on, federal policy* has too often treated choice as an exit strategy that moves dollars out of neighborhood schools rather than investing in the kinds of public options that make those schools stronger.
Choice has been framed not as a way to make much needed improvements to public education, but as a way to abandon it."
— Kayla Patrick from The Century Foundation
*We would also add state and district policies as well.