Creative Science School

www.pps.net/schools/creativescience

423 Students

Elementary School K - 8th

School Overview

The Creative Science School (CSS), located in the Montavilla neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, is a unique K-8 public magnet school within the Portland Public Schools district. It is widely recognized for its integrated, project-based curriculum that emphasizes hands-on learning, scientific inquiry, and environmental stewardship. The school is intentionally designed to foster a tight-knit community, often utilizing multi-age classrooms to encourage peer mentorship and personalized academic growth.

Beyond its core academic offerings, the school is noted for its strong emphasis on social-emotional learning and its "whole-child" approach to education. By blending traditional state standards with creative, exploratory projects, CSS aims to cultivate critical thinkers who are actively engaged with their local community. As a public magnet program, it draws students from across the district who are looking for an alternative to conventional classroom structures, prioritizing collaborative problem-solving and creative expression as foundational elements of the student experience.

423

Total Students

23.6

Full-Time Teachers

17.9

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Creative Science School
Demographic	Student Count
White	282
Hispanic	39
Black	9
Asian	43
Two or More	35
American Indian	6
Pacific Islander	1

White
282 (68.0 %)
Asian
43 (10.4 %)
Hispanic
39 (9.4 %)
Two or More
35 (8.4 %)
Black
9 (2.2 %)
American Indian
6 (1.4 %)
Pacific Islander
1 (0.2 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	N/A
Shared Time Status:	N/A
District:	Portland SD 1J
Phone:	(503)916-6431
Website:	http://www.pps.net/schools/creativescience
Grade Range:	K - 8th
Total Students:	423
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	23.6
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	17.9
NSLP Participation:¹	N/A
Qualified Free Lunch:	N/A
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	N/A

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Kindergarten 40

Grade 1 45

Grade 2 43

Grade 3 45

Grade 4 48

Grade 5 51

Grade 6 53

Grade 7 49

Grade 8 49