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Ainsworth Mission Statement
Ainsworth supports all students in achieving their very highest educational and personal potential, to inspire in them an enduring love for learning, and to prepare them to contribute as citizens of a diverse, multicultural and international community.
Ainsworth Elementary is a Kindergarten through 5th grade school located in the southwest hills of Portland, Oregon. Our school offers two college preparatory programs. Instruction is differentiated to meet the needs and abilities of each student. Ainsworth is committed to a balanced curriculum that includes art, library, technology, physical education, music and Spanish language study. Our students are connected to their community through class projects and service.
Our mission is to support all students in achieving their very highest educational and personal potential, to inspire in them an enduring love for learning, and to prepare them to contribute as citizens of a diverse, multicultural and international community. Our staff, families and community members continue to provide our children with the best education possible, including:
A rigorous and challenging curriculum that promotes personal success, educational excellence and physical well-being.
The development of the skills necessary for self-direction and life-long learning.
A sense of connection with, and service to, both the local and global community.
The expectations of respect for oneself and for others.
A campus environment that is emotionally and physically safe in its physical setting.
An appreciation on the part of all students for the arts.
What makes us unique?An English program and a Spanish Immersion program
Focus on the Arts with music and art instruction
Free full day kindergarten
Community celebrations and events throughout the year
And much, much more
Browse our website and experience the learning opportunities that are happening in our school every day. The staff, students and families that make up our Ainsworth community welcome you.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ainsworth Elementary is the longest continuously running elementary school in Portland, Oregon, and is located in the city’s southwest hills. The Ainsworth school building, where the school is housed to this day, was completed on the eve of World War I. Designed by F.A. Naramore in the spirit of English Renaissance schools, the building was dedicated on February 9, 1914. It opened for 207 students and during that first year was served by one principal and seven teachers.
Our school was named after Captain John C. Ainsworth, who came to the Pacific Northwest as an experienced Mississippi River steamboat crew member. At the time, navigation on the Columbia River was provided by a number of steamboat companies as well as individually-owned boats. In late 1860, Captain Ainsworth incorporated the Oregon Steam Navigation Company.
Originally, the Vista Avenue facade provided a grand entrance to the school with stairs leading up and into the main lobby. To the right of the entrance was the Principal’s Office and to the left was the Teacher’s Room. The stage in the auditorium had modern features, cutting-edge for the time, including floor lights that fold into the floor and are still used today, and pulleys for scenic flats.
The Library occupied the entire central area on the school’s second floor. Because there was no gymnasium, the basement was divided into the Girl’s Play Room and the Boy’s Play Room; today that space houses the cafeteria. The outside playgrounds in front and back were grass, weeds, dust, and mud.
The 1914 school building itself has withstood the pressures of use for nearly one hundred years, but many improvements and additions have been made. In 1928, the gymnasium was built. Beneath the gym, an arts-and-crafts room was established which was entered from the back playground. The playgrounds were improved and updated over the years, and today students enjoy several play structures on both the front and back fields. A state-of-the-art, 13,000-square-foot artificial turf field was installed in 2009 in memory of former student, Julia Reimann. The field is used for P.E., after-school sports, and neighborhood play.
Today, Ainsworth Elementary includes kindergarten through fifth grades and offers two programs; the Spanish Immersion Program and English Program.
School Song
We love your vine-covered walls,
We love your spacious halls,
The days we spend at Ainsworth
will always be the best of all.
Our hearts are loyal and true
We'll always be loyal to you,
We love our flag and the land of our birth
and you, Ainsworth.