Catlin Gabel History

Catlin-Hillside School, circa 1955

Students at Catlin-Hillside School, circa 1955

Discover the History of Catlin Gabel

Two schools, Catlin-Hillside School and Gabel Country Day School, merged in 1957 to become the Catlin Gabel School. The Upper School relocated to the current location on Barnes Road in 1958, with other divisions added in stages over the following decade. Our predecessor schools were both founded by women who were leaders in the progressive education movement.

School History

The history of Catlin Gabel reaches back to 1859 with the founding of Portland Academy (later called the Preparatory School) in downtown Portland, where Priscilla Gabel was a teacher. In 1931, it became known as Miss Gabel's School. In 1936, she relocated the school to a former golf club in Raleigh Hills and called it the Gabel Country Day School. Ruth Catlin started Miss Catlin's School in 1911 in Northwest Portland. She built a new school on Northwest Culpepper Terrace and moved into that facility six years later. In1926, the Hillside building was added to the campus, becoming known as the Catlin-Hillside school.

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we are on traditional territory of the Chinook, Kathlamet, Multnomah, Clackamas, and Molalla peoples. We honor and thank these peoples, and will use the awareness of their traditional and current connection to this land to guide our mindful exploration of this place.

A true education involves more than formal development of the mind alone—it must develop the whole nature of a young human being to the utmost of his [or her] individual capacity.Priscilla Gabel, circa 1946

To maintain a school with the most enlightened ideals of education, content of work and methods of teaching, where each pupil is the unit of consideration, under conditions which will serve to develop his [or her] fullest powers as an individual and as a group member.Ruth Catlin, 1928