Primerly field report

Community Transitional School (CTS)

a tuition-free private school in Portland

PK–8 · Private · Specialized · Private/Nonprofit

6601 NE Killingsworth St, Portland · Cheryl M. Bickle, Principal

Community Transitional School (CTS) is a private, nonprofit Pre-K–8 school dedicated exclusively to children experiencing homelessness or housing transition across Portland and East Multnomah County. The mission is stability: small, multi-grade classes, door-to-door transportation, and two nutritious meals daily so students can attend consistently and learn.

Unlike public schools serving similar populations, CTS does not receive federal McKinney-Vento homeless-education funding; about 93 percent of its budget comes from private donations and foundations, with the remainder from Multnomah County. The school runs a five-week summer program (grades 3–8) focused on reading and math, plus an After-School program with student-run "store" experiences.

Students receive on-site vision screening, twice-yearly visits from the Dental Foundation of Oregon's Tooth Taxi, and weekend take-home groceries through a partnership with Sunshine Division. A "Clothes Closet" provides essentials so kids can focus on school.

Teachers, instructional assistants, and volunteers offer one-on-one help, while the school addresses the instability that interrupts learning through consistent routines and wraparound supports. CTS has operated since 1990 and is designed to be the one place that stays consistent while a family's housing situation changes.

Tuition: Tuition-Free

Address: 6601 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97218. Phone: (971) 201-2472. Website: transitionalschool.org.

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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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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