Primerly field report

Capitol Hill Elementary School

a tuition-free public neighborhood school in Portland

K–5 · Public · Neighborhood · Portland Public Schools

8401 SW 17th Ave, Portland · Febe Armendariz

Capitol Hill Elementary follows the standard Portland Public Schools curriculum with a whole-child philosophy that pairs academic rigor with social-emotional development, TAG support, and arts enrichment woven throughout. Art, music, and physical education are offered at every grade level, and the school's Reading Results partnership brings intergenerational reading tutors into classrooms to support literacy. The principal has set an explicit tone around belonging, joy in learning, and empathy making Capitol Hill feel warm and community-anchored.

That community culture is backed by an unusually active PTA. For years, a parent-led foundation supplemented district staffing dollars, funding technology upgrades, library resources, and additional programming and staffing beyond what the district budget provided. In May 2024, PPS approved a district-wide policy change (effective July 1, 2024) ending the practice of individual school foundations fundraising specifically for staff positions, consolidating those dollars into a centralized Fund for Portland Public Schools. Capitol Hill's community has adapted: PTA fundraising continues at full strength for non-staff enrichment (classroom supplies, technology, events, and the annual Auction), keeping the school resource-rich despite the staffing funding shift.

Tuition: Tuition-Free Public

Address: 8401 SW 17th Ave, Portland OR 97219. Phone: 503-916-6303. Website: pps.net/capitolhill.

All Portland-area schools on Primerly

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PPS rightsizing · a proposal, not a decision

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The basics

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A day here

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The campus

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Where they go next

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The support

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Getting in

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Your odds in the lottery

Seats here aren’t first-come; they’re drawn by lottery. Each circle below is a tenth of the families who applied over the last two springs and stayed in the running (didn’t take a higher-ranked school). Filled circles got a yes.

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Official PPS lottery results, 2025-26 & 2026-27 combined: offers made ÷ families still in the running (offered + waitlisted); applications cancelled for a higher-ranked school excluded. pps.net › prior transfer data. Slots reset every year.
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Tuition
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