As sunlight shines through the trees, a group of children in colorful rain jackets are circled in a small clearing in the woods. The children sit on a pine needle-covered forest floor, listening intently to their teacher. At the Portland Forest School (PFS), learning happens outdoors.
Located in Southeast Portland, the Portland Forest School (PFS) is an outdoor education program for K-8 students. It started out as a part of Trackers Earth, a camp program, in 2016 and was later made a private nonprofit in early 2024. Though not yet an accredited school, Ian Abraham, head of PFS, states that they “hope to meet [their] goal of becoming an accredited school in January of 2025.”
The school offers a unique learning environment, as over 85% of a PFS school day takes place outside. As stated by Abraham, the goal of outdoor education is “to embrace and encourage the natural curiosity and resilience we see in our students while exposing them to all the benefits of learning and playing in the natural world.”
Outdoor learning has been shown to be extremely beneficial for young children. “Nature-specific outdoor learning has measurable socio-emotional, academic, and wellbeing benefits, and should be incorporated into every child’s school experience with reference to their local context,” states a study published in Frontiers in Public Health, a multi-disciplinary and peer-reviewed journal. “Children being able to move their bodies, breathe fresh air, and experience the changing days and seasons has been shown to decrease anxiety, build resilience, and increase confidence,” shares Kate Mitchell, a parent volunteer at PFS.
Max Sandberg, an eighth grader at PFS, loves that they get to be outdoors all day. Sandberg says, “I personally feel like I’m in my element when I’m out in the forest … and I feel like I’m working harder and learning more.” Sandberg began attending PFS while it was still a part of Trackers Earth, as a kindergartener, and believes the school is a very good fit for him.
An average day at PFS begins in the lower level of the St. David of Wales church, which the school rents for when an inside learning space is necessary. “Students start in their classrooms doing guided lesson work that reviews the previous day’s lesson or sets the standard for the academic day to come,” says Abraham. Soon after, the students travel by school bus to the location for the day. PFS owns its own school buses, creating opportunities for students and their teachers to make decisions based on weather and distance to locations for the day. Once the class arrives at the site, the main lessons begin. Throughout the day, the students have snacks and lunch breaks before the return trip to the school building. Back at the building, they review the lessons and wrap up the day before pickup. The school day lasts from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., similar to the hours of public schools in Portland.
Though PFS usually holds classes in the surrounding forests and natural areas, they also incorporate trips around Oregon into the students’ learning. “Occasionally classes may take special trips to the coast or Mt. Hood. Students also visit the library, museums, and other local events,” comments Abraham.
A school year at PFS currently costs $14,950 for kindergarten, and $16,950 for grades first through eighth. In the coming years, they hope to expand. “We would love to add high school [classes] as the school grows,” says Abraham.
Though PFS is quite different from traditional public schools in Portland, it offers students a unique learning experience, one that may be beneficial to students who struggle with traditional education or who love the outdoors!
