Summary:
ZIP code 97236 is home to six elementary schools serving roughly 1,941 students across three school systems — David Douglas School District 40, Centennial School District 28J, and Portland School District 1J — divided between four traditional district schools and two charter schools. Parents will find a sharply split academic landscape: both charters rank in the top quarter of Oregon elementary schools, while all four district schools rank in the bottom fifth statewide.
The standouts are Arthur Academy, the top performer in the ZIP with 4 stars, a rank of 105 of 709 (85th percentile), and proficiency of 68.8% in ELA, 48.4% in math, and 57.9% in science — all far above state rates of 43.8%, 32.9%, and 30.6%. It has improved steadily over three years, keeps chronic absenteeism at 9.3%, and does so while reporting 100% free/reduced lunch and the lowest per-student spending in the ZIP ($11,111). Portland Arthur Academy Charter School ranks 160 of 709 (77th percentile, 4 stars), with ELA at 64.9% and the ZIP's highest math at 48.6%, plus the lowest absenteeism at 8.0%, though its science (32.0%) trails its Portland district average of 45.1%.
Among district schools, Meadows Elementary leads in ELA at 30.1%, Gilbert Heights Elementary has the top math (24.6%) and the highest spending ($27,183), Gilbert Park Elementary is the largest at 503 students with the highest student-teacher ratio (23.9:1), and Powell Butte Elementary is the lowest performer: 0 stars, 4th percentile, ELA 19.8%, math 13.8%, and science 6.9%. Charters average about 40 points higher in ELA, 28 in math, and 32 in science while spending less than half as much per student. Science is weak across district schools (6.9%–17.1%), and chronic absenteeism tracks performance closely — 8.0%–9.3% at charters versus 25.2%–30.8% in district schools.
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