Japanese Immersion Program

International School of Portland is home to the premier Japanese language program in the United States. 

• It is the only program in the country to offer full Japanese language immersion.
• It is the only program to combine Japanese immersion with the renowned International Baccalaureate approach.

The Japanese program at ISP started in 1995. All homeroom teachers  within the track are native Japanese speakers and have extensive teaching experience in the US and Japan. They teach a full Japanese immersion curriculum: entirely in the Japanese language and with the context of the Japanese culture.

Thanks to our small classes, students receive a great deal of individual attention and develop into independent and disciplined learners. Our students and faculty are actively involved in Portland’s Japanese community, performing at the Japan Festival, the Mochitsuki Festival, and Children’s Day Festival. In the older elementary grades, Japanese Track students complete and pass the Avant STAMP 4SE, a test designed for Elementary Schoolers to measure real-world language proficiency. It is aligned with STAMP proficiency tests for older students, where they can earn credentials like Seals of Biliteracy.

The Japanese Track program culminates with a fifth grade Capstone Study Abroad trip to a sister school in Japan. There, the children see that their Japanese language and cultural skills can truly open doors for them across the world.

The added beauty of International School of Portland is that the children are also exposed to the Chinese and Spanish languages and cultures. As a result, our students not only feel at home in Japan, but also have a well-developed awareness of the world beyond.