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An independent middle and high school in downtown Portland may finally secure a forever home.

The Northwest Academy, a nonprofit, currently leases space in five downtown buildings. Officials have applied to the Portland Bureau of Development Services for a pre-application hearing regarding plans to expand and consolidate operations into two buildings.

鈥淲e have people that we hired 鈥� they’re called 鈥榳ranglers’ 鈥� who spend their days escorting students between buildings,鈥� said Mary Folberg, head of the academy. 鈥淥ur middle-schoolers (are) pretty young, so we don’t let them travel alone at all.鈥�

Shiels Obletz Johnsen, based in both Portland and Seattle, on Dec. 2 submitted an application to discuss expansion of two existing buildings 鈥� Century Plaza, at 1221 S.W. 12th Ave., and Century Tower, at 1201 S.W. 12th Ave. 鈥� to accommodate the school.

Folberg said enrollment in the past two years has grown from 150 students to almost 200, and the school needs more space.

鈥淲e’re really scrapping to get by with the spaces we have,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’d like a long-term solution for a home for this school.鈥�

The academy currently occupies about 12,000 square feet in Century Plaza and 5,000 square feet in Century Tower, Folberg said. Between the five buildings, the school occupies about 42,000 square feet. Combined, Century Tower and Century Plaza have approximately 70,000 square feet.

The school has operated in downtown since its establishment in 1996. In 2012, officials tried to purchase the former YWCA building at Southwest 10th Avenue and Main Street, but the deal fell through.

鈥淭hat got pulled out from under us and was really a heartbreaker for this school,鈥� Folberg said. 鈥淚t set us back and we’ve had to be really strategic with our growth. We are turning down a lot of kids every year that we don’t want to turn away.鈥�