Metropolitan Learning Center (Portland, Oregon) Facts for Kids

This page is about the school in Portland, Oregon. For the school in Bloomfield, Connecticut, see Metropolitan Learning Center (Bloomfield, Connecticut).

Quick facts for kids Metropolitan Learning Center

Address
2033 NW Glisan Street Portland , Multnomah County , Oregon 97209 United States
Coordinates	45°31′36″N 122°41′36″W / 45.52669°N 122.69332°W / 45.52669; -122.69332
Information
Type	Public
Opened	1968
School district	Portland Public Schools
Principal	Ashlee Hudson
Grades	K–12
Number of students	404 (2018 enrollment)


Couch School
U.S. Historic district Contributing property

Built	1914
Architect	Floyd Naramore
Architectural style	Tudor Revival
Part of	Alphabet Historic District (ID00001293)
Added to NRHP	2000

The Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) is a public school in Portland, Oregon, United States. It offers a special way of learning for students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade.

The school is right next to Couch Park. The park's playground is also used as the school's playground.

History of MLC
Who Goes to MLC?
How MLC Teaches
People Connected to MLC
- Famous Alumni
- Notable Faculty
Images for kids
See also

History of MLC

The Original Couch School Building

In 1913, people in Portland voted to spend money on new school buildings. The old Couch School, built in 1883, was old and needed to be replaced. It had even closed for a while because of a health issue.

A new Couch School was built in 1914. It cost $177,000. The main architect for the new school was Floyd Naramore. He designed many schools in Portland, like Benson Polytechnic High School. The new Couch School was built in the Tudor Revival style, which was popular at the time.

Both the old and new Couch Schools were named after Captain John Heard Couch. He was an early settler whose land became part of Northwest Portland.

Starting the Metropolitan Learning Center

In 1968, the Portland Public Schools started a new kind of learning program at Couch School. It was called the Metropolitan Learning Center. It began with 150 students from Couch School and other places.

This new program let students choose what they wanted to learn. They didn't have to follow a strict plan set by teachers. Also, students were not grouped by age, and they didn't get letter grades. The center worked with Portland State University and Reed College. This allowed college students who were learning to be teachers to help a lot in the classrooms.

The same principal, Amasa Gilman, was in charge of both Couch School and MLC. He said that this new way of learning led to fewer problems and more students coming to school. Mr. Gilman was principal until 1975. When he was moved to a new school, students and staff at MLC protested.

A few years after 1968, the old Couch School and the new learning center became one. The whole school was then known as the Metropolitan Learning Center.

Recent Events at MLC

In 2016, there was a gas explosion a few blocks from MLC. Many 10th-grade students were taking a test at the time. Everyone at the school had to leave and go to the school district's main office.

On September 15, 2018, MLC celebrated its 50th birthday! Many current and former students, teachers, and community members came. There were displays about the school's history. There was also a discussion with Oregon State Senator Lew Frederick and some former students.

In 2019, the playground at Couch Park was updated. MLC students even helped design the new playground. It was made to be a place where all kids, including those with special needs, can play.

MLC Principals Over the Years

Amasa Gilman, 1968–1976
Richard Wheatley, 1976-1979
Clarence "Cloudy" Beyer, 1979–1984
Mike Harris, 1984–1991
Pat Burke, 1991–1993
Eugene Valjean, 1993–1994
Ed Bettencourt, 1994–1997
Pam Shelly, 1997–2002
Greg Wolleck, 2002–2005
Pam Shelly, 2005–2006
Frank Scotto, 2006–2010
Pam Shelly, 2010–2011
Maccare Traynham, 2011–2015
Pam Joyner, 2015–2017
Alexa Pearson, 2017–2019
Mark Van Hoomissen, 2019–2022
Suezann Kitchens, 2022–2025
Ashlee Hudson, 2025–Present

Who Goes to MLC?

In 2025, about 67% of the students at MLC were white. About 12% were mixed race, and 10% were Hispanic. Smaller groups included Asian, Black, and American Indian students.

In 2023, almost all of the seniors at MLC earned their high school diploma. Out of 19 students, 18 graduated. In 2022, 20 out of 21 students graduated.

In 2016, 91% of the seniors graduated. That year, most students were White (about 80%). About 9% were Hispanic, and 7% were mixed race. A small number of students were learning English as a second language in 2017.

How MLC Teaches

MLC started because it wanted to challenge the idea that students only learn for rewards. The school believes that strong relationships between staff and students are very important.

Because of this, MLC does not give letter grades like A, B, C. Instead, they use a four-category system to show how students are doing. These categories are "Exceeds," "Proficient," "Developing," or "Does Not Meet." Each category is linked to a grade point average (GPA) range. This helps show how the ratings compare to a traditional 4.0 scale.