538 SE 20th Ave #A
Portland, OR 97214

Daughter went here from kindergarten through midway through 5th grade. We moved to the area because we were told that the school was good. It wasn’t. Staffing shortages, disciplinary problems, general lack of engagement between the teachers and parents… I lost count of how many principals Buckman churned through between 2016-2022. (Three? Four?) The school places a heavy emphasis on belonging, social justice and LGBTQ+ issues. I did find it disquieting when my daughter reported that not a single lesson was spent on sexism: an issue some 51% of Buckman students will experience. Let me be explicit here: they talked about transgender issues to the exclusion of addressing sexism. In the meantime, here’s what we saw: no sports teams, no STEM clubs, and next to zero school art projects. (It’s supposedly an “art school” so that is to be expected.) I can count on one hand the number of field trips she went on in five and a half years. After we heard about another wave of budget cuts, we moved to a better school district for the last half of her 5th grade year. The difference is staggering. If I could do it all over again, knowing what I know how, I would have bit the bullet and found a way around PPS: homeschool, private, charter. I never would have sent my child to a school like Buckman.

Stop lying, this principle lies and said she can handle situations that comes to this school. They talk to these kids crazy. This school is racist and has lots of drama and bullying. I will not recommend this school. I wish I would of did my research first. BE AWARE!

We moved from out of state to Portland and researched schools before we came. We chose Cleveland because of the choir program and theater program. The website boasted 3 plays a year, etc. It was a bait and switch. We got there and the theater teacher was suspended for mysterious reasons and no productions only a substitute teacher that knew nothing about theater. After being an excellent student all her life my daughter started to have problems with her work and started hanging out with a bad crowd (school does nothing about kids leaving the grounds). This school only cares about kids who do well without effort. We spoke to guidance counselor at the end of 9th because we were concerned with slipping grades and some skipped classes and she told us not to worry and recommended a private academic coach, who cost us $2000 and did not help! I literally begged the choir teacher to give my child extra encouragement because I knew if she quit singing that we would lose her. Teacher did nothing. Only interested in the stars of the class.To make a long story short, this school grossly failed my child. After I insisted on an IEP out of desperation, they were slightly interested - interested in getting her off of their books! They pushed us to go to the Community College program, which was not suited to her needs at all and she failed it. Covid hit. She never graduated. Thanks, Cleveland!!!There are some GREAT teachers at this school, and some not so great but still very compassionate. The vice-principal (the principal was a revolving door when we were there) and counseling staff are the worst! They actually assigned a counselor to my child that was the mother of the student that caused my child a lot of grief. Completely clueless. The neighborhood is pretty awful also, if you are unfamiliar with Portland look at the setting the school is in - near Cleveland lots of camps and drug use in the park across the street, and strip bars less than a block away. No healthy food restaurants anywhere. Do not send your impressionable sensitive child here!