Why Northwest Academy?

List of 1 items.

  • You Belong Here!


    Northwest Academy practices PROGRESSIVE education, a student-centered approach that allows students to be active participants in their own learning. 

    Northwest Academy offers ARTS-INTEGRATED education, where arts are a foundational part of our curriculum and infused into every class.

    Northwest Academy uses a PLACE-BASED approach to learning, using Portland as our classroom. Students learn to be citizens of an urban environment, visiting local museums, theaters and businesses as a part of their curriculum. 
Northwest Academy’s Commitment to Downtown Portland:

With a campus located just steps from arts and cultural institutions, colleges, City Hall, and local businesses, Downtown Portland provides unique educational and social opportunities for Northwest Academy students, faculty, and staff. Our campus and curriculum are enhanced as we use the city as a classroom; whether that be walking to a theatre to watch a performance, grabbing lunch at a food cart, engaging in civic demonstrations, or doing yoga in the park. The intangible and invaluable benefits of interacting with the city, its varied and colorful citizens, and its microenvironments allow our students to learn what they cannot in a traditional classroom setting and challenge them to examine preconceived ideas and rhetoric inherent to urban environments. We believe that our students emerge more informed, confident, and reflective after spending time in and with this community, and our commitment to being a part of an ever-evolving downtown Portland is just as strong as the day we moved in. As members of Portland's downtown community, Northwest Academy commits to:

  • educating our students about the importance of civic engagement and becoming informed and active citizens
  •  partnering with the City and local businesses and organizations to better understand who this community is comprised of and work to support those with similar goals and missions
  • keeping our campus and surrounding community clean and safe, not just for our school community but for the community at large
  • ensuring that our students leave this community with a sense of pride and understanding of what it has to offer
 

What Sets Northwest Academy Apart

Accreditation

Northwest Academy is an independent, non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Oregon. It is governed by a Board of Directors according to policies set forward in the bylaws. Northwest Academy has a 501(c)(3) classification and tax-exempt status.

Northwest Academy is accredited for secondary matriculation by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) and by AdvancEd. Its fiscal and administrative processes are regularly examined in fulfillment of the school’s accreditation. Accreditation of an institution by NWAIS indicates that it meets or exceeds the NWAIS Major Standards and Good Practices. An accredited school is one that has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. As an accredited school, Northwest Academy has demonstrated that it is focused on providing a safe and enriching learning environment while maintaining an efficient and effective operation. Accreditation further validates that Northwest Academy is effectively delivering a quality educational experience to its students.

Accredited by AdvancEd (Cognia) and Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) CEEB No. 380912