Portland Public Schools reviews charter schools’ annual performance, enrollment and equity concerns

Portland Public Schools officials reviewed annual performance frameworks for five district‑authorized charter schools at a charter schools committee meeting, reporting enrollments, state assessment results, facility updates and next steps on equity and oversight.

Sunita Sandoz, director of charter schools for Portland Public Schools, said the office’s “mission is to support and monitor a high performing and innovative PPS charter school portfolio, to promote equity and learning for all students,” and described the office’s roles in oversight, fiscal pass‑through and school support.

The presentation covered the Emerson School; Kairos PDX Learning Academy; Le Monde French Immersion; Portland Arthur Academy; and Portland Village School. Staff said the five PPS‑sponsored charter schools enroll just under 1,300 students in total and that two additional state‑sponsored charter schools in district boundaries enroll about 475 students, for roughly 1,800 students statewide who attend charter schools within the district’s footprint.

Enrollment and recent assessment highlights included:

- Emerson School (K‑5): enrollment about 130. In the 2023–24 Oregon state assessment (OSAS) results cited by staff, 62% of Emerson students met or exceeded in English language arts (ELA) and 56% met or exceeded in math for tested grades 3–5. Staff noted Emerson moved into a renovated downtown facility in January and has a 15‑year lease with a five‑year option.

- Kairos PDX Learning Academy (K‑5): enrollment about 205. Kairos met or exceeded at 35.4% in ELA and 23.2% in math on 2023–24 OSAS; staff noted Kairos’s student population includes a…