Three Rivers Charter School

2565 Southwest Ek Road

School District

West Linn-Wilsonville 3j
Grade

4-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

charter

School Map for West Linn-Wilsonville School District 3j

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 03, 2024

My child had swapped to many different schools in the past. We were all very excited to have our student be welcomed into 3RCS when she was starting off her 4th grade year. However, our joy soon shifted to sadness, as she would only make 1 or 2 friends. She came home telling us how the kids at 3RCS are so unwelcoming in comparison to how kids were to her at previous schools. I'm totally not biased or anything as such, but my daughter is very likeable. But so, what if the students aren't so nice to her, right? well, that's not only the case. Only a few months into her fourth-grade year, she then told us about how bad the teachers were to her and to other students. We considered looking for a new school for our daughter, but we decided that it would be best to just give it some time. Over the next 2 years, the school was incredibly unbearable for us and her. The teachers were very unkind to her, and showed zero compassion toward our conversations were for them changing their behavior. We swapped our daughter out so that she could spend her 6th grade year with some joy. So far, she has enjoyed her new middle school one hundred times greater than 3 rivers. I wouldn't recommend this school to my most least favorite person in the entire world. This school is the worst I've ever seen and can and absolutely will be miserable for your child. Please, take my words into consideration.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2019

I love that the high level of expectation is coupled with a high level of support. Although TRCS has does exceptionally well on tests, I feel like that is a nice result and not the main goal. Students have a chance to own their work and show creativity in their "Independent Project" each year. Seriously, the amount of experience they get in this project alone is incredible. TRCS places a high value on character development, learning habits, and leadership development. They get involved with community service. My child became a better independent learner and took more ownership with work.It *seems* like there is a higher ratio of high achievers at TRCS. (I have no data to back this claim!) I think that this raises the bar for everyone. I think it sets them up for better success later if they are immersed in a school culture where students care about their work. Attending TRCS can require some sacrifice (donation $$ and transportation), which generally means the families attending are highly invested in education (pun intended). There is a fantastic program that puts students into groups ("families") that foster relationships with students across grade levels.One of my favorite things is how the students will have the same teachers for different subjects over the course of their years at TRCS. They will have the chance to develop meaningful relationships over the course of many years. All the teachers and staff will know my child well. Although I am very happy with TRCS, it does come with some sacrifices. As I see it, the cons are:1. It is not fully funded like other public schools....which means a large donation for every student is necessary to keep it viable. 2. The small size of the school is critical to a lot of what makes it awesome, but it's also the reason it lacks some of the things available at other middle schools (i.e. sports, music, language, clubs).3. No bus. The school does help to foster carpools, but it is still entirely up to each parent to arrange transportation. 4. The schedule is not exactly the same as the rest of the district, which can be a bit more to juggle if you also have children at another school. These cons are probably deal breakers for a lot of families, but if not, TRCS is a fantastic school and worth the extra effort!
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2018

We have no regrets sending our daughter to Three River and feel that is was an overall satisfactory experience, but we've decided one year is enough. What we admired:The IP project: We couldn't believe how much our daughter and the other students accomplished! It was a true display of creativity and intellect.The new school is beautiful and we can clearly see the effort that went into it.The PE program is unique and gives students a chance to explore various types of sports.The Outdoor School program was stellar, providing our daughter the chance to socialize, learn, and enjoy nature.Qualities that were less satisfying:She was expected to conform precisely to her teachers instruction without any leg room: Our daughter had a very difficult time adjusting to the needs of her teachers and they had difficulty meeting her half way. We were continuously told that she had to catch up with Three Rivers "high standard of education". As a student beginning at Three Rivers in the 6th grade (rather than 4th grade), our daughter felt left out and unqualified to fit the needs of her teachers and peers. She went from being a straight A student and confident in her abilities to a C-grade students with lack of confidence. Her teachers didn't seem to acknowledge that she was coming from a different educational background and was given the "our way or the highway" approach.We were surprised with Three River's cluster testing strategy of which several weeks went by without a test and then numerous tests were given in one week. The grading system is, in our opinion, excessively critical and discouraging. There were nights that our daughter spent 2-3 hour on average to study for a test but still received lower grades than we all expected. Sending her 3x a week to Mathnasium and Kumon helped, but her grades were still low. Between tutoring and studying, our daughter rarely had time to be a child of 11 and enjoy herself. We appreciate the fact that her teachers took the time out of their busy schedule to arrange a meeting with us after expressing our concern. Yet the meeting started with asking our daughter "What do you think the problem is?" Our daughter left feeling as if she was reprimanded and without tangible guidance.Three Rivers does indeed hold a higher standard of education, but it is not for everyone.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2017

The school is in general excellent. I've interacted with both the administration and the staff and they seem honest and have managed to create an environment that promotes academic excellence and community feeling. Their PT conferences are also much superior to what one typically sees in public schools. My concerns with the school are more mostly long-term:a) Do they have a good succession plan for the 2 founders?b) How closely are they looking at the changing landscape in terms of technology, society and the economy and how actively are they thinking about refining both curriculum and teaching methodology to prepare the kids for the future of 2030 (not 2008). I don't have specific complaints - just trying to highlight that what may have made this a great school in the past may not keep it at that place in the future. Probably, more discussions around this need to happen around the 3rcs community to leverage our collective pool of knowledge and experience.c) How much of individual attention can the kids get? How does the school reconcile and address the needs of both over-achievers and under-achievers in various areas?d) Even outside sports and music, the number of programs that the school engages with are relatively limited (Scripps spelling bee, FLL, OBOB, etc.). This may mean reduced number of opportunities for kids to shine outside academics as an individual or as part of a team, with only a smaller cross-section of kids managing to express their extra-curricular interests.- parent
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2017

The “no stars” review of Three Rivers Charter School could have been written by me, verbatim. One star goes to the wonderful families and students that we met at the school. The good reviews posted on this site are likely from parents and students who started in fourth grade. My daughter entered in sixth grade and was greeted with criticism and negativity from the teachers. Any transition is difficult, but the teachers did not explain the routines unique to this school. Any questions from us or requests for clarification resulted in a lecture on “self-advocacy.” We encourage self-advocacy appropriate for the age of our children. When my daughter would ask questions, the teachers responded with an abrupt “NO” or vague reply. We plodded along for months and tried to resolve our concerns several times with the teachers and the administration (as suggested in a previous post by a teacher), but nothing changed. In fact, the attitude toward my daughter became even more toxic. I attempted to explain to the teacher and administration that my daughter is very sensitive and feeling a positive connection could go a long way for her. Just a few kind, encouraging words - not over the top praise. Then, the teachers starting giving her consistently low grades (Ds and Fs) that made no sense. Every polite inquiry led to more derogatory comments towards my daughter. My child has tested into the TAG program and gets high scores on OAKS testing and MAPs testing. She has great potential and motivation to work hard. I have had kids in school for 13 years and have never experienced anything this disrespectful. I expect my kids to work hard in school, but I also expect kind and fair treatment from the teachers and administrators. My daughter voiced, “My teachers think I’m a waste of time.” The environment was not conducive to learning. I tried to communicate with the teachers and administration, but they were not interested in partnering with me or taking any responsibility in making the situation better. My daughter also felt that there was distinct favoritism towards some students. If you start in fourth grade, then there is a better chance of having a good experience that this school. My son went to one of the large public middle schools, and we had a much better experience there with teachers, administration and communication.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2015

(continue on previous review) On character building, social and leadership, 3rcs in general does a good job. Students will have daily opportunities to speak in front of the whole school. And a lot, if not most of them work on a leadership program to improve on their skills on discussion, decision making, event organization, public speech and so on. My observation is middle school age kids almost universally demonstrate such skills. EC is not much. There is a successful Robotics program that won trophies in state. Sports related, students have to get those from elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on June 26, 2012

Read between the lines: the majority of EVERYthing said below is true, tempered to some degree. The good: great school; high academic standards; great degree of student accountability. The bad: constant teacher turnover; lack of communication; administration can be defensive. The mediocre: PE, Art, Music, etc.,--you know it's not there when you start; get it somewhere else. Bottom line: no place is perfect and consider your options: 3RCS is WAY better than anything else West Linn has to offer.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2012

What a great experience this school has been. The administrator and teachers are brilliant! They listen and act with honesty and integrity. It is such an amazing school-keep up the great work! You are changing the way students view school. At TRCS, the caring and understanding of both parents and students is amazing! My thanks to the insightful administrator for helping this school continue to serve the community of west linn/wilsonville!
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2012

Our TRCS experience includes lovely families & teachers AND: *This school has an inflated reputation, pushing high standardized test scores as a top benefit. Creativity is lacking. *The stale administration can be short sighted & condescending if questioned *Chronic staff turn over builds nothing. *No developed PE, art or music instruc/program. Kids can participate at Rosemont or Athey for anything structured or planned ahead. classes at TRCS are minimal *The facility is too small, lacking. No improvements made in 5 yrs. *The required/suggested donation amounts can oft change mid year. First asking families to donate $$, then asking for $$ and maybe a little of $. Names of those who provide payments are listed in the weekly newsletter. Charter schools are a biz & new families should have information from both satisfied and unsatisfied customers. Positive reviews are a reflection of those people's experiences. The one star review below is also an accurate account of how things can roll at TRCS. The Teacher review below sounds defensive, & kinda proves the point of the one star review. Go with the program, or get called out. It does happen.
Submitted by other on April 17, 2012

I am an alumni of the school. And I would like to just say that the parent that gave "no stars" doesn't know what they're talking about. I loved that school. Through the constant care of my teachers, I entered high school as a better student, and human being. I wish that all teachers were as awesome as the teachers from TRCS. Of all schools, this school is the last one I would think of that deserves criticism. If you want your children to become quality citizens and not mindless drones, sending them to TRCS would be a good place to start. Take my word for it, this is an awesome school!
Submitted by teacher on January 17, 2012

As I read the review written below, I am struck by the irony of it. What we teach our students is that they cannot make a publically derogatory statement without providing explanation enough that would allow the criticized to respond or learn from their opinion. This is, indeed, critical thinking--where one looks not only at "what" they think, but "why" they think it. We teach them that "standing up for the courage of your convictions" means that you don't make these statements anonymously to the general public, but rather discuss them privately with the person involved. Based on the way this writer saw fit to express their upset, It is easy to see why this person was unhappy with our philosophy. I can only hope that they will step forward and seek a solution to their displeasure.
Submitted by parent on December 02, 2011

No stars. The administrator needs to retire. Students are not allowed to have opinions of the school that do not adhere to the administration's self-aggrandizing, rosy picture. If they do, they are berated, humiliated and made to feel like they are the problem. Parents are kept in the dark. Instead of encouraging critical thinking and standing up for the courage of one's convictions, all this teaches the students is that adults in power will maintain that power at all costs.
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2011

Cannot say enough great things about TRCS. It has been a fabulous place for my 6th grader to thrive. Not only academically but with strenthening self esteem. The level of responsibility that they require of the students and the amount of support the staff gives is phenomenal. Only have positive things to say.