Primerly field report

Cesar Chavez School (Spanish DLI)

a tuition-free public neighborhood school in Portland

K–8 · Public · Language Immersion · Spanish · Portland Public Schools

5103 N Willis Blvd, Portland · Dr. Rebecca Levison

César Chávez School operates as a co-located K-8 program where a Spanish Dual Language Immersion strand and a neighborhood English program share the same building. In the Spanish DLI program, students follow Portland Public Schools' 90:10 model, starting with 90% Spanish instruction in kindergarten and gradually transitioning to 50-50 by middle grades, developing bilingualism and biliteracy alongside academic content.

Neighborhood students living in César Chávez's attendance zone can enroll in the English program, while families across the district can apply through the lottery for Spanish immersion seats, with about half of spots reserved for in-neighborhood families. The school describes its mission as preparing learners to become leaders in a diverse community through a focus on academics, respect, equity, and justice. As a K-8 configuration, students remain in the same community from kindergarten through eighth grade, building long-term relationships and avoiding the elementary-to-middle school transition. The school operates as a SUN Community School with extended-day programming and houses an on-campus Student Health Center.

• K–8 grades
• ~469 students
• 12:1 student-teacher
• 20 average class
• Tuition-free neighborhood school
• Yes Title I

Tuition: Tuition-Free Public

Address: 5103 N Willis Blvd, Portland OR 97203. Phone: 503-916-5666. Website: pps.net/chavez.

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