About Prophet Education Center · Portland
The Prophet Education Center (officially the Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center) is the administrative headquarters building of Portland Public Schools (PPS), located at 501 N. Dixon Street in North Portland across from the Moda Center. It was renamed on September 20, 2022 by unanimous PPS Board of Education resolution to honor Dr. Matthew Prophet (1930–2022), the district's first Black superintendent, who led PPS from 1982 to 1992. The building houses central-office staff, the Board of Education, and district departments, and is also a public meeting venue — though the board voted in 2024 to pursue relocating and selling the 10.5-acre site to the Albina Vision Trust.
The Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center is the central administrative headquarters of Portland Public Schools, Oregon's largest PK-12 school district, founded in 1851 and serving more than 42,000 students across 81 schools. The building itself sits on a 10.5-acre site overlooking the Willamette River in the historic Albina neighborhood of North Portland. Originally known as the Blanchard Educational Service Center after a former superintendent, the building was rededicated on September 20, 2022 by Resolution 6598 to honor Dr. Matthew Prophet, Jr., who served as Portland's first African-American superintendent from 1982 to 1992 and was named Portland First Citizen in 1991. During Prophet's tenure district test scores rose, dropout rates fell, and he pushed for staff representation to mirror student demographics. The Prophet Center houses PPS central-office functions including Student Success & Health, Human Resources, Finance, the Superintendent's office, and the Board of Education boardroom. Regular business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the Board of Education typically meets in the building's Board Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. on select Tuesdays. The main PPS contact line is 503-916-2000. In February 2024 the PPS Board unanimously approved moving forward with a plan to sell the Prophet Center to the Albina Vision Trust so the building can be redeveloped as part of the Center for Black Excellence, with the district seeking replacement headquarters space.
- In business
- Renamed Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center on September 20, 2022 (original Blanchard Education Service Center predates that; Portland Public Schools founded 1851).
- Owner
- Portland Public Schools Board of Education (owner/operator); building named for Dr. Matthew Prophet, Jr. (1930–2022), PPS Superintendent 1982–1992.
- Serves
- City of Portland, Oregon — Portland Public Schools boundaries
What is the Prophet Education Center?
The Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center (often shortened to PEC or the 'Prophet Center') is the central administrative headquarters of Portland Public Schools. According to the official PPS Mission Statement page, 'Portland Public Schools is headquartered in the Prophet Education Center (PEC), located across from the Moda Center in North Portland.' The building at 501 N. Dixon Street sits on the east bank of the Willamette River in the historic Albina neighborhood and overlooks the river and downtown. It is not a school in itself — it is where district leadership, central-office departments, and the Board of Education operate.
Naming history and Dr. Matthew Prophet
On September 20, 2022, the PPS Board of Education unanimously approved Resolution 6598 renaming the building from the Blanchard Education Service Center to the Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center. The renaming honored Dr. Matthew Prophet, Jr. (1930–2022), who served as superintendent of Portland Public Schools from 1982 to 1992 — the first Black superintendent in the district's history. Prophet grew up in Jim Crow Mississippi, where free public education for Black students ended at the eighth grade, and he was named Portland First Citizen in 1991. He died in California in 2022. The board vote followed a petition supported by over 200 signatures and the Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators. The previous namesake, Robert Blanchard, had been criticized for the district's desegregation-era busing plan and was removed after protests led by the Black United Front.
- Resolution 6598 — passed unanimously Sept. 20, 2022
- Previously named Blanchard Educational Service Center
- Dr. Matthew Prophet, Jr. (1930–2022), PPS Superintendent 1982–1992
- First Black superintendent of PPS
- Named Portland First Citizen in 1991
Departments and offices housed at the Prophet Center
The building houses PPS central-office departments that serve the entire 81-school district. The Student Success & Health Department, for example, lists 'Prophet Education Center, 501 N. Dixon St Portland OR 97227, 503.916.2000' as its address and runs programs for mental health, suicide prevention, LGBTQ2SIA+ supports, substance-use prevention, Section 504 plans, behavioral safety assessment, school counseling, school psychology, school social work, and health services. Other central-office functions located in the building include Human Resources, Finance, Communications, the Superintendent's office, and the Board of Education.
- Student Success & Health Department
- Human Resources
- Board of Education and Board Auditorium
- Superintendent's Office
- Finance and district operations
Portland Public Schools at a glance
Portland Public Schools, the district headquartered at the Prophet Education Center, was founded in 1851 and is a PK-12 urban public school district. According to PPS's own overview page it serves more than 42,000 students across 81 schools (45 elementary, 10 K-8, 15 middle, 10 high, and 1 K-12) plus Head Start, six community-based programs, five charter schools, two alternative programs, and seven special services programs. The district employs about 8,141 people, including 3,421 PAT (Portland Association of Teachers) educators.
- Founded 1851
- 42,000+ students
- 81 schools
- 8,141 total employees
- Head Start + 6 community-based + 5 charter + 2 alternative + 7 special services programs
Key programs administered from the PEC
District-level program leadership that runs out of the Prophet Education Center includes Early Childhood Education (serving nearly 1,000 3- and 4-year-olds in preschool and prekindergarten), Career Technical Education/Career Pathways (which PPS says has more than doubled its CTE offerings), Dual Language Immersion (enrolling roughly one in ten PPS students), the Arts (funded by the Portland Arts Tax), and Athletics through the Portland Interscholastic League, which has expanded into middle-school Youth Sports.
- Early Childhood Education
- Career Technical Education / Career Pathways
- Dual Language Immersion
- Portland Arts (dance, music, theatre, visual arts)
- Portland Interscholastic League athletics
Board of Education meetings at the PEC
The PPS School Board meets regularly at the Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center Board Auditorium, 501 N. Dixon Street. According to the board's public notices page, meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. on select Tuesdays (and on certain other occasions), with scheduling changes posted publicly. Under ORS 192.670 the meetings are live-streamed except for executive sessions. The board's published agendas and supporting documents are archived through BoardBook Premier.
- Board Auditorium at 501 N. Dixon St.
- Typically 6:00 p.m. on select Tuesdays
- Live-streamed under ORS 192.670
- Documents archived on BoardBook Premier
Relocation and the Albina Vision Trust proposal
On February 20, 2024, the PPS Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution moving the district closer to selling the 10.5-acre Prophet Center site to the Albina Vision Trust (AVT). AVT's plan is to acquire the riverfront property — which the OPB described as having 'the potential to transform the Albina neighborhood' — and develop it as part of the broader Center for Black Excellence, while PPS would acquire replacement headquarters meeting requirements for on-site parking, large meeting spaces, affordability, and public transit access. The district is separately pursuing the Jefferson High School modernization and a Harriet Tubman Middle School relocation as part of the same equity-focused capital agenda tied to the 2020 school bond.
- Feb. 20, 2024 board vote to pursue sale
- Buyer: Albina Vision Trust (AVT)
- Site size: 10.5 acres
- Tied to the Center for Black Excellence
- AVT had identified 14 potential replacement HQ sites
Center for Black Student Excellence
Tied closely to the Prophet Center's naming and redevelopment is the Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE), a partnership between PPS and the Albina Vision Trust. PPS's historical-context page describes renaming the district HQ after Dr. Prophet as 'one of the very first actions' in this effort. The CBSE is overseen by a 13-member Center for Black Excellence (CBE) Board, with AVT serving as fiscal sponsor. Under Dr. Prophet's leadership, Black students saw a 65% improvement in [outcome cited by PPS], and the district has directed COVID relief funding and tied superintendent evaluations in part to improved outcomes for Black and Indigenous students.
- PPS + Albina Vision Trust partnership
- 13-member CBE Board
- Tied to Jefferson HS modernization and Harriet Tubman MS relocation
- AVT as fiscal sponsor
Visiting and contacting the Prophet Education Center
The main PPS contact line staffed from the Prophet Education Center is (503) 916-2000. Regular building hours for central-office staff are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Members of the public attending Board of Education meetings should consult the board's Public Notices page for the current schedule, as dates occasionally shift. The site is on the east bank of the Willamette River directly across from the Moda Center in the Albina neighborhood of North Portland.
- Main phone: 503-916-2000
- Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Mon–Fri
- Located across from the Moda Center, North Portland
- Public Board meetings held on site