Portland Public Schools is considering two plans to close schools and redraw programs and attendance boundaries, changes that could affect students and families at as many as 42 of the district’s 81 schools. The more extensive option would close 14 campuses: 13 elementary schools and Sellwood Middle School. A second option would close 11, leaving Stephenson, Lewis and Rose City Park elementary schools off the closure list. No schools have been selected for closure; the plans are proposals for the school board to consider. Under Option A, the elementary schools proposed for closure are Maplewood and Stephenson in southwest Portland; Buckman, Creston, Marysville, Woodmere and Lewis in southeast Portland; Irvington, Rose City Park and Sabin in northeast Portland; and Beach, James John and Peninsula in North Portland. Option B removes Stephenson, Lewis and Rose City Park from that list. Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong is expected to recommend a plan in mid-November. The board could approve it, change it or take no action, with a final vote expected by mid-December. Any approved changes would begin next fall. Armstrong said district staff do not plan to add schools to the closure list, though board members could direct them to consider additional campuses. Portland Public Schools has lost 6,700 students since 2019, and enrollment this fall is estimated to be about 700 lower than last year. Forecasts from Portland State University’s Population Research Center project a further decline of 5,100 students over the next decade. District leaders cite falling birth rates, high housing costs and families choosing private, home or online education among the factors behind enrollment losses. About half of the district’s 45 elementary schools enroll fewer than 300 students. District officials say small enrollments mean some schools combine grade levels or reduce electives, while specialists such as librarians, art and physical education teachers, and counselors may have to split their time among campuses. The district’s stated targets are at least 360 students at each elementary school and 500 at each middle school. Six of the 14 schools in Option A receive federal Title I funding, which provides additional support to schools serving larger shares of students from low-income families: Buckman, Marysville, Woodmere, Beach, James John and Peninsula. All but Buckman enroll a majority of students of color. The share of Title I schools on the proposed closure list is roughly in line with their share across the district, though the proposals come after criticism of boundary and program changes made in southeast Portland in 2023 that affected high-need schools while leaving wealthier, whiter schools largely unchanged. Both options would also continue the district’s shift away from K-8 schools toward separate elementary and middle schools. Seven existing K-8 or pre-K-8 campuses would become K-5 schools, including César Chávez, Faubion, Vernon, Beverly Cleary, Laurelhurst, Sunnyside and Bridger Creative Science. The Metropolitan Learning Center would change from K-12 to K-8 and share space with the Odyssey program. The plans would consolidate some language immersion programs. César Chávez, for example, would become a regional hub for Spanish immersion students from Beach, Sitton and James John elementary schools. The schools are about two to three miles apart, raising questions about transportation for families. The district’s plans would also leave popular focus-option schools, including arts-focused Da Vinci Middle School and science-focused Winterhaven K-8, open. The proposals have drawn opposition from parents and the Portland Association of Teachers, which has urged the district to first recruit more students and redraw boundaries to redistribute enrollment. The union has also called for a slower process and raised concerns about what would happen to emptied buildings and whether closures could lead to private or charter school use. “This is a huge change, and let’s just make sure it’s a really well-thought-out change,” said Matt Coolidge, a parent who helped start a WhatsApp group that has grown to include hundreds of families. The group planned to rally before a school board meeting. Armstrong said she visited 17 schools in September and heard strong skepticism from families. She said her goal is to make a large enough change now to avoid another round of closures for at least five or six years. The district is studying possible uses for empty buildings, including temporary swing space during seismic upgrades and renovations, or leases for child care and early-learning programs. Armstrong said she does not want the buildings used for charter or private schools. The district says closures are not primarily a cost-cutting measure, but it faces a projected $65 million budget deficit for the 2027-28 school year. Some job losses are likely, particularly among principals and office staff, though the number of teachers who could lose jobs is not yet clear. Armstrong has also said funding uncertainty makes it difficult to promise what staffing and services would look like at consolidated schools. The effects of school consolidation are not certain. Research on large-scale closures is limited, and studies cited by district officials offer mixed context: a review of Arkansas district consolidations found no or small positive effects on student test scores, but no increase in the share of spending going to classrooms. A study of Portland’s 2023 boundary and program changes found no academic harm in southeast Portland, while some schools reported significant disruption to school culture. The board’s decision will unfold amid disagreement over whether closures are necessary and whether the district has provided enough detail about savings, staffing, transportation and student experience. All seven board members voted last spring to have district staff develop closure scenarios, but that vote did not approve any closures. Board members Christy Splitt and Stephanie Engelsman have since voiced concerns about the proposals’ scale.