The International School



The International School is an independent Chinese, Spanish and Japanese immersion elementary school in Portland, Oregon. The International School was founded in 1990 and today educates nearly 500 students.
The International School is an authorized International Baccalaureate school, teaching children through the IB's inquiry-based Primary Years Programme. It was the first elementary school in Portland to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.
The International School has been designated as an International Spanish Academy, one of only 28 American schools to earn this designation from the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain.

History

The school was founded in 1990 by Doug and Frey Stearns. The school started by offering full Spanish immersion in 1990, full Japanese immersion starting in 1995, and full Chinese immersion starting in 1996.
In 2006, The International School expanded its campus to accommodate steadily increasing demand for its program. A capital campaign attracted donations from 100 percent of the school's parents as well as grants from Meyer Memorial Trust, The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, and the Henry L. Hillman Jr. Foundation. The new building was named Stearns Hall, after the school founders.
In 2010, the school became the first elementary school in the state approved to teach the International Baccalaureate program. The campus, located on the SW Waterfront near downtown Portland, currently consists of six buildings. The newest, Learners' Hall, a 2-storey building with was completed in 2016.