Primerly field report

The Cottonwood School of Civics and Science

a tuition-free public charter in Portland

K–8 · Public · Charter · Place-Based

2510 SW 1st Ave, Portland · Amanda McAdoo, Executive Director; Sara Miller, Principal

Cottonwood is a tuition-free, place-based K–8 public charter where the history, environment, and people of Portland and the Pacific Northwest are the curriculum. Each trimester, classes run an integrated unit anchored in a social studies or science concept, with reading, writing, public speaking, and geography built into the project work, and units are taught through social-justice and eco-justice lenses. Indigenous studies run through every grade. Math uses i-Ready Classroom Mathematics (K–8). Kindergarten and 1st grade use Learning Without Tears for reading and writing, and classrooms also use reading and writing workshops, with students taking on more challenging books and place-based questions as they move up.

The focus widens with age: family, home, school, and neighborhood in K–2; the ancient history of Oregon in 3rd grade; U.S. history and Pacific Northwest biomes in 4th and 5th; and national and global topics with local ties in 6th through 8th, such as studying globalization through Portland businesses. Overnight trips are part of the curriculum for older students, and middle schoolers take 9-week electives led by parents and community volunteers. Since fall 2025 the school has operated from a building at the edge of downtown, near the Lair Hill neighborhood and the Willamette River Greenway, after leaving its former site next to the Portland ICE facility.

• K–8 grades
• 166 students
• 14 student-teacher
• 21 average class
• Tuition-free charter

Tuition: Tuition-Free Public

Address: 2510 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97201. Phone: 503-244-1697. Website: thecottonwoodschool.org.

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