Cedar Mill Elementary School vs Markham Elementary School

Cedar Mill Elementary School and Markham Elementary School are both Portland, Oregon K–5 schools sitting 6.0 miles apart, but they occupy very different positions in Oregon's statewide rankings. Markham Elementary School ranks #29 of 1,226 Oregon elementary schools — 55 spots above Cedar Mill Elementary School at #84. That gap matters: fewer than 2.4% of Oregon's elementary schools outrank Markham, while Cedar Mill sits in the top 7%. On the composite rating, Markham edges Cedar Mill 9.3/10 to 8.8/10, a 0.5-point difference that reflects Markham's stronger overall standing despite the two schools being geographically close.

Academically, Cedar Mill Elementary School holds a narrow edge — a 9.7/10 academic score compared to Markham Elementary School's 9.4/10, a difference of 0.3 points. Where Markham pulls decisively ahead is in student growth: Markham scores 9.4/10 on growth versus Cedar Mill's 8.9/10, a 0.5-point gap indicating that students at Markham are gaining ground relative to their starting points at a measurably faster rate. Families prioritizing how much a school accelerates achievement beyond baseline will find Markham's growth score compelling, while those focused purely on tested proficiency levels may favor Cedar Mill's academic score.

The two schools differ considerably in population and classroom density. Markham Elementary School enrolls 402 students against Cedar Mill Elementary School's 329, a difference of 73 students. More consequential for day-to-day instruction is the student-teacher ratio: Cedar Mill sits at 18.3 students per teacher while Markham operates at 16.1:1, meaning Markham teachers carry roughly two fewer students per classroom on average. The free and reduced-price lunch rates tell a stark socioeconomic story — Cedar Mill serves 18% of students who qualify, while Markham serves 64%. That 46-percentage-point gap means the schools draw from substantially different communities and face different resource and support demands.

Both schools cover the same grade span, KG through 5th grade, so families with children at any elementary age have equivalent access at either campus. No program-specific data was provided that would distinguish the two schools at the extracurricular or specialty level — the meaningful distinctions between them remain the growth trajectory advantage at Markham, the academic proficiency edge at Cedar Mill, and the significant demographic contrast between the two campuses.