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Vestal Elementary School

Q: Is Vestal Elementary School a good school?

Vestal Elementary School ranks 305 th of 709 Oregon elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

305^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 709 Oregon Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Oregon elementary schools

Summary

Vestal Elementary School is a K–5 school at 161 NE 82nd Ave in Portland, Oregon, serving 257 students as part of Portland School District 1J, which ranks 12th of 141 districts in the state. In 2025-26 it ranked 305th of 709 Oregon elementary schools — 57th percentile, 3 stars — the strongest result in its published record going back to 2014-15.

That rating caps a long climb. Vestal spent 2014-15 through 2018-19 in the bottom quartile at 1 star, then rose into the middle of the state distribution. From 2023-24 to 2025-26 it gained 19 percentile points (38 to 57), the largest two-year improvement among nearby schools, while most Portland 1J peers were flat or declining. Comparisons are striking: Glencoe Elementary School spends about $3,355 less per student with larger classes yet posts 80.6% reading proficiency to Vestal's 44.6%, while Clark Elementary School, under a mile away, spends roughly half as much per student and ranks in the 11th percentile. Science is a real strength — 38.5% proficiency beats six of ten nearby schools, including Lee Elementary School and Cherry Park Elementary School. Chronic absenteeism, at 30.3%, is below both district and state averages after an 8.7-point one-year drop.

The main challenges are relative, not absolute. Vestal clears the state average in all three tested subjects but trails its own district by double digits in reading and math, and results vary by grade: 4th grade is the weakest cohort at 36.2% in both subjects, and 5th-grade math (30.8%) is the only measure in the data below the state. Low-income students rank in the 32nd percentile — 25 points below the school overall — the clearest internal gap. Two strengths stand out: special education students reach the 79th percentile (4 stars), and the Hispanic student subgroup rose from the 5th to the 60th percentile, though no data is reported between those endpoints. Classes are small (13.8 students per teacher) and per-student spending is $25,895, above the nearby median.

257

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,895

Per pupil spending ?

45.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

161 NE 82nd Ave
Portland, OR 97220-6004

(503) 916-6437

District: Portland School District 1J

Students who attend Vestal Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Leodis V. McDaniel High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.5%

Hispanic:

19.1%

Two or more races:

15.2%

See top rated Oregon elementary schools

Compare Vestal Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Oregon median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg53%

Oregon avg37%

305^th of 709

Oregon public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 44 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Oregon Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

44^th of 60Elementary Schools in the Portland School District 1J

12^th of 141Portland School District 1J among Oregon districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	53.0	305 of 709	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.1	398 of 706	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	440 of 710	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.6	488 of 706	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	418 of 706	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.6	563 of 705	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.7	510 of 709	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.1	529 of 701	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.7	606 of 697	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.0	521 of 706	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	28.7	538 of 695	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.3	494 of 707	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	14.0	678 of 730	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	26.9	581 of 695	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.3	469 of 674	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	33.4	502 of 665	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	45.1	399 of 655	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.3	355 of 652	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.3	343 of 636	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	34.4	473 of 629	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	39.2	401 of 586	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	361 of 655	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	348 of 653	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	413 of 658	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	440 of 652	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	387 of 646	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.3	503 of 621	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	444 of 681	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	52.3	152 of 377	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	14.1	453 of 475	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	352 of 521	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.0	275 of 518	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	272 of 523	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	315 of 595	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	414 of 703	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.5	521 of 597	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	572 of 640	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	60.0	229 of 657	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.3	370 of 664	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.4	346 of 662	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	470 of 665	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.7	341 of 654	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.5	512 of 623	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	515 of 680	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2018	49.7	107 of 212	49.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	74 of 355	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	49.5	117 of 299	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.0	201 of 303	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.6	375 of 481	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	74.8	136 of 670	79.7%	★★★★☆
2025	43.1	360 of 669	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.1	343 of 670	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.6	326 of 656	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.8	335 of 666	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.9	457 of 662	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.2	357 of 683	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2018	13.7	349 of 384	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	26.2	296 of 382	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.4	318 of 383	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	42.6	227 of 381	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	32.9	277 of 382	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.8	338 of 377	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.5	326 of 395	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.4	294 of 357	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.9	253 of 343	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	33.4	238 of 323	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	41.5	204 of 315	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

White (2026)80th percentile+23 vs school

Special Education (2026)79th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2026)65th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+3 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)50th percentile+21 vs school

Female (2026)45th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Oregon (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Mathematics39%+6 vs state

Science38%+8 vs state

3.3

6 ratings · 5 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, April 11, 2019

A school is more than its scores. Vestal is a special place and has the potential to be a top community school. Close Quote

by a citizen
Saturday, March 16, 2019

Over the past 2 years (spring 2017 to winter 2019), violence of students towards each other and towards teachers remains unchecked. Experienced teachers are still leaving at an unusually high rate. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, October 11, 2017

We were looking for any other school when we moved here 2 years ago because Vestal was rated so low, but tried it anyway and we are SO pleased with the environment there, with the dedicated staff, with the way teachers work with every student in the way they learn best - they teach to the child, not to the test here. I recommend this school and am happy our kids are being led and educated by these great, caring, warm teachers. Close Quote

by a citizen
Sunday, March 26, 2017

It used to be a great school, about 5 years ago, when Susan Foxman was the principal. Unfortunately, under subsequent leadership, the school's staff culture and discipline plan execution have become less collegial and less collaborative respectively. That is why so many good, long term, full time teachers (despite longstanding positive relationships with the Vestal community), are voting with their feet. Some have accepted less desirable positions (part time, or a combo. of part time assignments, and/or adding significant commutes to their already long days as committed teachers).
- Spouse of an experienced, committed teacher who unfortunately felt essentially forced out by the current principal. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, May 24, 2013

I really wish the PTA would implement more usage of obtaining outside sponsors for fundraisers, grants etc. The school has been doing a lot of great and helpful things like the new Vestal Garden/ Community Garden, they are putting in a large chess board on the playground, building more garden spots ETC. They do have Gear Up and AVID for the upper grades which seems to be a great program. I do like how the class sizes are small and the teachers seem to have a more 1 on 1 communication/teaching experience than what I grew up with in Portland Public Schools. This school gets widely overlooked and it really should not. I again stress that the PTA should be putting in more time and work to upgrade existing carnivals, field days, craft nights and fundraisers. The teachers are all great and my children have been attending this school for quite a few years. Close Quote

Schools Near Vestal Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				OSAS English Language Arts (2026)							OSAS Mathematics (2026)							OSAS Science (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	OSAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts All Grades	OSAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	OSAS Mathematics 4th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 5th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 6th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 7th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 8th Grade	OSAS Mathematics All Grades	OSAS Science 5th Grade	OSAS Science 8th Grade	OSAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Vestal Elementary School	Public	K-5	161 NE 82nd Ave	Portland	97220	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 916-6437	257	19	13.8	45.1%	117 (45.5%)	26 (10.1%)	49 (19.1%)	15 (5.8%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.2%)	39 (15.2%)	53	305^th of 709 public elementary schools	57.0%		40.1	398^th of 706 public elementary schools	43.6%	93	45.3	36.2	53.8				44.6	48.1	36.2	30.8				39.1	38.5		38.5	$25,895	$1,613	$24,282
Portland Arthur Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	7507 SE Yamhill St	Portland	97236	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 257-3936	165	12	13.7	41.8%	72 (43.6%)	20 (12.1%)	17 (10.3%)	43 (26.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.3%)	72.6	160^th of 709 public elementary schools	77.4%		85.9	82^nd of 706 public elementary schools	88.4%	78	72.0	58.3	64.0				64.9	68.0	50.0	28.0				48.6	32.0		32.0	$12,228	$802	$11,426
Clark Elementary School	Public	K-5	1231 SE 92nd Ave	Portland	97216	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(503) 916-2000	330	26	12.8	100.6%	81 (24.5%)	67 (20.3%)	50 (15.2%)	69 (20.9%)	5 (1.5%)	21 (6.4%)	37 (11.2%)	16.2	630^th of 709 public elementary schools	11.1%		17.4	612^th of 706 public elementary schools	13.3%	18	26.3	22.8	26.3				25.1	31.6	21.4	14.3				22.5	10.5		10.5	$12,228	$802	$11,426
Bridger Creative Science School	Public	K-8	7910 SE Market St	Portland	97215	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-6336	474	27	17.4	42.2%	318 (67.1%)	14 (3.0%)	37 (7.8%)	34 (7.2%)	5 (1.1%)	6 (1.3%)	45 (9.5%)	73	156^th of 709 public elementary schools	78.0%		66.2	199^th of 706 public elementary schools	71.8%	43	54.7	60.9	53.2	46.2	64.6	61.9	57.3	56.0	59.4	47.8	39.5	57.1	35.6	50.3	31.9	36.2	34.0	$22,740	$841	$21,900
Lee Elementary School	Public	K-5	2222 NE 92nd Ave	Portland	97220	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 916-6144	257	19	13.2	119.5%	108 (42.0%)	35 (13.6%)	47 (18.3%)	25 (9.7%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.5%)	29 (11.3%)	47.8	337^th of 709 public elementary schools	52.5%		57.2	262^nd of 706 public elementary schools	62.9%	75	23.5	52.9	48.8				43.7	33.3	49.0	30.0				38.7	24.4		24.4	$26,682	$1,528	$25,153
Rose City Park	Public	K-5	2334 NE 57th Ave	Portland	97212	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-6765	448	28	16.0	42.0%	213 (47.5%)	17 (3.8%)	26 (5.8%)	133 (29.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	55 (12.3%)	78.3	125^th of 709 public elementary schools	82.4%		73.8	147^th of 706 public elementary schools	79.2%	22	53.8	54.4	60.0				56.0	58.2	56.7	47.3				54.3	47.9		47.9	$23,556	$907	$22,649
Cherry Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1930 SE 104th Ave	Portland	97216	Multnomah County	David Douglas School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 256-6501	442	26	17.0	107.7%	151 (34.2%)	53 (12.0%)	112 (25.3%)	59 (13.3%)	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.6%)	56 (12.7%)	62.6	230^th of 709 public elementary schools	67.6%		57.6	257^th of 706 public elementary schools	63.6%	27	54.8	60.3	51.2				55.0	59.7	42.9	36.0				45.7	24.4		24.4	$35,392	$9,766	$25,626
Glencoe Elementary School	Public	K-5	825 SE 51st Ave	Portland	97215	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-6207	357	18	19.3	41.7%	260 (72.8%)	17 (4.8%)	38 (10.6%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (8.1%)	97.9	10^th of 709 public elementary schools	98.6%		97.7	11^th of 706 public elementary schools	98.4%	1	78.9	79.7	83.6				80.6	77.6	78.3	71.0				75.8	64.5		64.5	$22,540	$901	$21,639
Ventura Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	145 SE 117th Ave	Portland	97216	Multnomah County	David Douglas School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 256-6508	361	19	18.6	104.7%	115 (31.9%)	58 (16.1%)	100 (27.7%)	37 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	35 (9.7%)	24.2	551^st of 709 public elementary schools	22.3%		24.3	552^nd of 706 public elementary schools	21.8%	1	24.3	31.3	34.1				29.2	21.4	30.8	27.9				26.4	23.8		23.8	$27,526	$2,169	$25,357
Atkinson Elementary School	Public	K-5	5800 SE Division St	Portland	97206	Multnomah County	Portland School District 1J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 916-6333	372	22	16.9	41.7%	193 (51.9%)	6 (1.6%)	145 (39.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.9%)	78.6	123^rd of 709 public elementary schools	82.7%		82.2	109^th of 706 public elementary schools	84.6%	14	62.7	59.6	50.0				57.2	65.5	51.1	50.0				55.8	45.0		45.0	$23,256	$964	$22,292

Frequently Asked Questions about Vestal Elementary School

How many students attend Vestal Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended Vestal Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Vestal Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Vestal Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Leodis V. McDaniel High School

What district is Vestal Elementary School in?

Portland School District 1J

What is the racial makeup of Vestal Elementary School?

Students at Vestal Elementary School are 46% White, 19% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 10% African American, 6% Asian, 2% Not Specified, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is Vestal Elementary School a good school?

Vestal Elementary School ranks 305^th of 709 Oregon elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Vestal Elementary School!

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Latest Oregon data All new data »

2025–26 OSAS test scoresNewSep 25, 2026

2023–24 through 2024–25 school spending dataAug 24, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 29, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataNov 20, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Oregon Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.