Primerly field report
a private school in Portland
PK–6 · Private · Montessori
11065 NW Crystal Creek Ln Portland · Cathy Swan, Head of School
Founded in 1977 and on its current 6-acre campus since 1999, MSB is an AMI-affiliated independent school for children ages 3 to 12. The buildings were designed by Portland architect Thomas Hacker around the demands of the Montessori classroom, giving every room a glass wall of natural light and its own outdoor extension and garden.
Children move through two 3-year cycles, Primary for ages 3 to 6 and Elementary for ages 6 to 12, staying with the same guide for 3 years at a stretch. Elementary work centers on Cosmic Education, in which children study how systems and disciplines connect rather than working through subjects in isolation, and older students plan small-group "Going Out" trips to pursue research beyond campus.
Many families stay 9 years.
Tuition: $16,020 - $16,880 (2026-2027 Elementary range)
Address: 11065 NW Crystal Creek Ln Portland OR 97229. Phone: 503-439-1597. Website: msb.org.
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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.
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.