Chief Joseph Elementary School vs Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School
Chief Joseph Elementary School and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School are very closely rated, both scoring around 9.1 out of 10. In math proficiency, Chief Joseph Elementary School leads at 47.0%.
Attendance data is under correction. A public school's existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating shown here may still reflect an unverified attendance input.
Chief Joseph Elementary School
Portland, OR
265 students
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School
Portland, OR
305 students
Keep or send this comparison
Send to my realtor
Open an email to my realtorRatings Comparison
| Metric | Chief Joseph Elementary School | Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 9.1 / 10 | 8.7 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.5 | 7.5 |
| Growth Score | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 64.5% | 72.8% |
| Environment Score | 8.5 | 9.7 |
| State Rank | #54 of 1,229 | #106 of 1,229 |
| State Percentile | 96th | 92th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Chief Joseph Elementary School | Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 47.0% | 7.5% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 57.0% | 22.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
Neighborhood
| Metric | Portland (97217) | Portland (97211) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $100,387 | $109,604 |
| Median Home Value | $569,500 | $616,800 |
| Median Rent | $1,789 | $1,818 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 59.4% | 56.4% |
| Poverty Rate | 10.9% | 9.5% |
| Avg Commute | 23 min | 23 min |
The data story: Chief Joseph Elementary School vs Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School
Chief Joseph Elementary School and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School sit just 1.9 miles apart in Portland, Oregon, and their overall ratings are nearly identical — Chief Joseph at 9.2/10 versus Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School at 9.1/10, a gap of just 0.1 points. In Oregon's statewide ranking, Chief Joseph holds the #35 spot out of 1,226 schools while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School comes in at #45, placing both schools firmly in the top 4% of the state. For families evaluating schools at this level, the gap in overall rating is essentially a tie.
The clearest academic distinction between the two schools is in academic proficiency scores: Chief Joseph Elementary earns a 9.5/10 compared to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School's 7.4/10 — a 2.1-point gap that reflects meaningfully stronger test performance at Chief Joseph. However, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School counters with a growth score of 9.9/10 versus Chief Joseph's 9.6/10, suggesting that students at MLK are making slightly faster academic progress relative to their peers. Families prioritizing current proficiency benchmarks will favor Chief Joseph; families focused on how quickly their child will advance may weigh MLK's growth edge more heavily.
On demographics and classroom environment, the two schools differ in notable ways. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School serves 305 students compared to Chief Joseph's 265, and its student-teacher ratio of 13.9:1 is considerably lower than Chief Joseph's 18.9:1 — meaning MLK students get roughly five more minutes of teacher attention per class hour on average. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility runs at 64% at Chief Joseph and 73% at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, indicating MLK serves a somewhat higher concentration of lower-income families, which can correlate with greater access to support services and Title I resources.
One structural difference is grade span: Chief Joseph Elementary serves kindergarten through 5th grade (KG–05), while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School extends its program down to pre-kindergarten (PK–05). Families with children younger than kindergarten age will find an earlier entry point at MLK without changing schools mid-childhood. Both schools are located in Portland, Oregon, and operate within the same district, meaning curriculum frameworks and administrative resources are shared — the differences above reflect school-level execution rather than district-level disparity.
Editorial summary generated May 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Chief Joseph Elementary School
Chief Joseph Elementary School fits families whose priority is demonstrated academic proficiency. With a 9.5/10 academic score and an Oregon state rank of #35, it's the stronger choice for parents who want their child in a high-performing classroom environment and are less concerned about class size. Its KG–05 span suits families whose youngest child is already kindergarten age.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School suits families who value a lower student-teacher ratio and earlier entry — its 13.9:1 ratio and PK–05 grade span make it a strong fit for families with a pre-kindergarten child or those who want smaller, more individualized classroom settings. Its 9.9/10 growth score also makes it the better pick for families whose child needs to close an academic gap quickly.