Downtown Portland, Portland International Airport and Mt. Hood Community College are all within a 20-minute drive. The administrative team is dedicated to both staff and student success, and attempts to involve staff in all major decision making. All teachers in the district have one hour each Wednesday morning to work with colleagues on school improvement activities focused on students achieving the state benchmark standards. This planning time is in addition to regular prep time and three all-day inservice days. All new teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate with an experienced teacher in the same building who can help acquaint newcomers and provide professional support and advice throughout the year.
Every school has counseling, social work services, and school psychologists.
Every classroom has a computer work station and every school has a computer lab. Teachers have access to a district wide e-mail system and the Internet. On-site technical assistance is available for using the computer as a management system and for integrating technology into instruction. The district's pro-active approach to creating a caring and safe environment includes a district wide character education program, student management programs in all buildings and a peer mediation program at the middle school and several elementary schools. The high school has a closed campus maintained by campus security and security cameras.