About Us

Columbia Academy occupies the lower level of the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church building in beautiful West Linn, Oregon. Sunlit classrooms border a landscaped play yard large enough to accommodate ball games, water play, and our annual Field Day events.

An adjacent yard provides a fenced play structure under huge shade trees.

There are several nearby parks to visit, including Mary S. Young, which borders the Willamette River and offers miles of forested trails and full-size soccer fields.

Columbia Academy began in 1983 as a quaint little school in Southeast Portland. Its hugely successful program attracted families from all over the greater Portland area, Southern Washington, and even Salem. By the millennium, the student body had grown to over 100 before a forced relocation resulted in a reduction in size... restoring Columbia's quaint little status. Current enrollment is approximately 35 students in three blended classrooms.

Over the years our philosophy has remained the same. Children are born with a natural thirst for knowledge and an inherent desire to explore the world around them. Columbia provides a nurturing environment to satisfy that drive, while instilling in each child a sense of responsibility and self-worth. Students receive an exceptional education and learn valuable study skills they can use for a lifetime.

Columbia Academy is not affiliated with any church, nor does it advocate or teach a religious belief system. Columbia is staffed and attended by a diverse group of individuals representing a variety of cultures. Ethical behavior, respect, and kindness are values that are encouraged and presented in a secular manner. Please refer to our Program Elements page to learn more about ethics.

Do you ever have difficulty grasping a new concept? Have you ever read a page and felt completely blank? In some study environments these common occurrences are seen as an inability to concentrate, or worse yet — a learning disability or behavioral disorder. At Columbia Academy that is not the case. The school is licensed by Applied Scholastics to use educational materials based on the works of author and humanitarian, L. Ron Hubbard. This includes the highly successful Study Technology, a learning system that teaches students to identify the three most common barriers to study, and provides precise steps for overcoming them. Students better understand what they read and study, and are able to apply the knowledge at school, and in life. All of the units and courses taught at Columbia Academy incorporate these basic principles.

Columbia Academy strives for 100% comprehension. This does not mean that perfection is expected in our students. It simply means that the ultimate goal when studying any subject is to completely understand the material. Any testing is done for the purpose of assessing comprehension, and grades are not assigned. While a 95% test score may sound favorable, it actually indicates that 5% of the material is unknown or misunderstood, which will weaken the student's certainty of the subject and may result in future difficulties. Rather than moving on, the student is reinstructed on the material missed, so that he or she achieves 100% mastery of the subjects studied and progresses through the program with confidence.

Columbia Academy has a long track record of success. The proven curriculum results in highly competent students that consistently exceed set standards. Below are recent California Achievement Test (CAT) results for reading, language and mathematics combined, with Columbia Academy students graphed (in black) against the norm.

More important than test scores is the confidence and enthusiasm that comes with such academic achievement. Students enjoy their time at Columbia Academy and leave with the tools they need to succeed in middle school, high school and beyond.

Top of Page

P.O. Box 101

19200 Willamette Drive

West Linn, Oregon 97068

phone (503) 699.1012

fax (503) 699.1013