Best Public Schools in Zip Code 97209

ZIP code 97209 has just one listed public school: Metropolitan Learning Center, an alternative public school serving grades K–12 in Portland School District 1J with 319 students. The area summary lists 0 elementary, 0 middle, 0 high and 1 alternative school, so this K–12 alternative program is the only option reported for families in this ZIP.

The school's strengths stand out most clearly in its elementary grades and in its district context. Portland School District 1J is ranked 12th of 141 in Oregon, at the 91st percentile with 5 stars. Across all grades, Metropolitan Learning Center is above the Oregon average in all three tested subjects: ELA 55.5% vs. 43.8%, math 37.5% vs. 32.9%, and science 43.4% vs. 30.6%. Grade-level bright spots are notable: 5th-grade ELA at 84%, 5th-grade science at 72%, 4th-grade ELA at 68.2%, and 4th-grade math at 59.1% — each above both district and state. The school also has high per-student spending of $26,619 and a 13:1 student-teacher ratio.

The challenges are mainly in the upper grades and in non-test indicators. In all-grade math, the school scores 37.5% against the district's 50.5%, and 8th-grade math (23.1%) and 11th-grade math (18.2%) fall below both district and state. The graduation rate is 73.3%, about 9.2 points below district (82.5%) and 9.7 points below state (83.0%), while chronic absenteeism is 34.1%, slightly above district 32.5% and state 33.5%. The 11th-grade ELA and science figures were suppressed by the state to protect student privacy, so those results are unknown rather than zero. As an alternative K–12 school, comparisons to district and state averages should be read with care, and small grade cohorts can make percentages volatile.