Student Life
Life at Cedarwood
Growing Up at Cedarwood
Growing, Learning, and Belonging
From the youngest children in Rosebud to our graduating eighth graders, life at Cedarwood is filled with meaningful work, joyful play, lasting friendships, and daily opportunities to discover the world. While every stage of childhood looks different, each day is shaped by the same commitment: creating an environment where children can grow with curiosity, confidence, and purpose.
Learning extends far beyond the classroom. Students create, explore, move, wonder, and contribute to the life of the school community. They develop practical skills alongside academic understanding, discover beauty through the arts, build friendships across grade levels, and learn that they are part of something larger than themselves.
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Childhood, Unplugged
One of the things visitors notice first is what they don't see.
Instead of screens, you'll find children climbing trees, building forts, creating imaginary worlds, practicing handcrafts, and losing themselves in books, music, conversation, and play. Technology certainly has its place, but we believe childhood offers a unique opportunity to develop attention, creativity, and strong human relationships before digital devices become central to students' lives.
Our classrooms and campus invite children to engage fully with the people and world around them.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
At Cedarwood, every student ventures into the wider world.
They hike forests, explore rivers, visit museums, attend performances, study local history, and connect classroom learning with firsthand experiences. These activities have become part of the curriculum—not simply field trips, but opportunities to deepen understanding through direct encounter.
As students grow older, projects become increasingly ambitious, inviting them to research, collaborate, solve problems, and present their work with confidence. Learning becomes something they experience, not simply something they are told.
There's no one in my class that I haven't laughed with.
Lair Hill Park: Our Shared Backyard
Every day, Cedarwood students spend their recess in Lair Hill Park.
This beautiful public space is more than a playground—it is an extension of our campus and an important part of school life. Here children climb, imagine, invent games, and experience the changing seasons together beneath towering redwoods—a rare treasure in our urban environment.
Because the park belongs to everyone, it also offers an opportunity to practice stewardship. Students learn that shared spaces thrive when people care for them. Through everyday acts of respect and responsibility, they develop an appreciation for the natural world and the larger Portland community of which they are a part.
A Community That Grows Together
A Cedarwood education is built on relationships.
Students know children across many grades. Families gather throughout the year for festivals, performances, service projects, and celebrations. Teachers remain deeply connected to the children they teach, creating an atmosphere where students feel known, supported, and encouraged to take healthy risks.
These shared experiences become the memories that families carry long after graduation.
An Education Through the Arts
At Cedarwood, the arts are woven into everyday learning.
Students paint, draw, sing, play instruments, move through eurythmy, work with clay and wood, perform plays, and create beautiful main lesson books that reflect their understanding. Artistic work isn't separate from academics—it is one of the ways children come to know the world deeply and express their own thinking.
Every child has opportunities to discover new interests, develop skills, and experience the satisfaction of creating something with care.
We all sort of say that we're like family.
Ready to Learn More?
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