Clark Elementary School

Clark Elementary School is a K–5 school in Portland, Oregon, serving about 330 students as part of Portland School District 1J. That district is one of Oregon's strongest, ranked 12th of 141 (91st percentile), but Clark is a sharp outlier within it: in 2025–26 it ranked 630th of 709 schools statewide (11th percentile), down from 22nd percentile in 2023–24. Its proficiency rates in English language arts, math, and science all fall below district and state averages, and the school reports near-universal free/reduced lunch eligibility.

In 2025–26, Clark's all-grade proficiency was 25.1% in ELA, 22.5% in math, and 10.5% in science, compared with district averages of 57.8%, 50.5%, and 45.1% and state averages of 43.8%, 32.9%, and 30.6%. Clark is the lowest performer in its comparison group in ELA and science and second-lowest in math. Same-district neighbors score far higher — Atkinson Elementary School, Bridger Creative Science School, and Portland Arthur Academy Charter School — while Clark's results more closely resemble schools in David Douglas School District 40 such as West Powellhurst Elementary School, Earl Boyles Elementary, and Mill Park Elementary School. Upper-grade math is especially weak, falling from 31.6% in 3rd grade to 14.3% in 5th, with 5th-grade science at 10.5%. Chronic absenteeism, at 39.2%, is the highest in the comparison group and above the 32.5% district and 33.5% state rates.

Clark's resources are unusual: it spends the least per student among nearby schools ($12,228, tied with Arthur Academy), while neighbors like Lee Elementary School spend well over $26,000. It also has the most favorable student-teacher ratio in the group (12.8), suggesting class size alone is not the issue. Subgroup results vary widely — special education ranked in the 76th percentile and African American students in the 58th, while low-SES students ranked 4th percentile; small subgroup sizes mean these figures should be read with caution. Combined with a three-year decline in overall rank, the data point to real challenges in math and science instruction and attendance.