Est. Portland, Oregon · 2027

Cardo Academies

Portland, Oregon · Opening Fall 2027 with PreK – 6th Grade

Every child deserves a school built around what drives them.

At Cardo, movement is what pulls a child in first, and that pull becomes a love of learning. From PreK through 12th grade, children grow into adults who take care of their bodies and see themselves as part of the wider world.

The Cardo Way

$Hands line up green counting rods on a place value chart marked tens and ones.$ A boy sits cross-legged on a library floor reading a book in front of full shelves.

A boy sits cross-legged on a library floor reading a book in front of full shelves.

Interest-Driven Learning

We connect every concept to something students already care about. The arc of a kicked ball teaches physics. The Olympic Games teach history.

Child-Led Mastery

Students work at their own pace in long blocks, with two short breaks each morning, and move on when they show they understand. When a student struggles, teachers build extra practice into the project they already care about.

Project-Based Learning

Projects tie subjects together around one real problem, and every project ends in front of an audience.

Movement as Pedagogy

Movement sharpens focus and helps the brain hold on to what it just learned.

Multi-Age Cohorts & Teacher Continuity

In PreK through 5th, older and younger students learn side by side, so every child gets turns leading and learning. Teachers stay with their class for two years.

Age-Phased Technology

PreK through 1st grade is screen-free. Technology arrives step by step from 2nd grade, and students learn to question it, including AI.

Global Citizenship

We teach in a way that honors where every student comes from, and prepares them to lead in a world that doesn't look like any single place.

Family-Life Balance

Schoolwork and training both happen inside the school day, so evenings are for family.

Young children crawl across a wooden studio floor on hands and feet as an adult leads them.

PreK – 5th Grade

Cardo Discovery Academy

The Cardo Way starts here. In PreK through 5th, children learn by doing, work alongside older and younger peers, and move through the day with purpose. They come to love learning early, and it sticks.

Two soccer players in white jerseys walk arm in arm toward a goal, one carrying a ball.

6th Grade Fall 2027 · Growing to 12th

Cardo Preparatory Academy

At the Preparatory Academy, school and sport stop fighting for the same hours. They feed each other across one well-built day, so students leave ready for life after school, wherever it takes them. We launch with 6th grade in Fall 2027 and add a grade each year through 12th.

Founding Enrollment · PreK – 6th · Fall 2027

Founding spots are limited.

Year one opens PreK through 6th: Discovery Academy covers PreK–5, and the Preparatory Academy starts with its founding 6th-grade class. We're keeping the first year small on purpose. Founding families get the full attention of our faculty and experience the Cardo Way from the first week. Start an inquiry for priority enrollment, information session invitations, and tuition assistance information.

Begin Your Inquiry

We read every inquiry ourselves. The reply will come from a person on the Cardo team.

PreK – 6th · Opening Fall 2027