Creston Elementary School vs Beverly Cleary School

Creston Elementary School and Beverly Cleary School sit 3.0 miles apart in Portland, Oregon, but their overall ratings diverge meaningfully: Creston Elementary School earns a 9.4/10 versus Beverly Cleary School's 9.0/10 — a 0.4-point gap. In Oregon's statewide ranking, Creston Elementary School holds the stronger position at #19 of 1,226 schools, compared to Beverly Cleary School at #57 of 1,226. Both are elite performers, but Creston edges ahead in the overall composite.

The academic scores for both schools are identical — Creston Elementary School and Beverly Cleary School each post a 9.8/10 — meaning neither has a measurable edge in tested proficiency. The separation opens on growth: Creston Elementary School scores 9.7/10 on student growth versus Beverly Cleary School's 8.9/10, an 0.8-point delta. That gap suggests students at Creston are advancing at a faster rate year over year relative to academic peers, regardless of their starting point — a meaningful signal for families prioritizing academic momentum.

The demographic and structural differences between the two schools are substantial. Creston Elementary School enrolls 238 students at a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio; Beverly Cleary School enrolls 558 students at a 20.7:1 ratio. That's nearly 5 additional students per teacher at Beverly Cleary. The free and reduced-price lunch rates diverge sharply as well: 78% at Creston Elementary School versus 12% at Beverly Cleary School. Creston serves a far higher proportion of economically disadvantaged families, and its top-tier scores in that context make its performance particularly notable.

On grade span and school structure, Beverly Cleary School has a distinct advantage for families thinking beyond elementary: it serves grades KG–08, offering continuity through middle school without a transition. Creston Elementary School covers KG–05 only, requiring a school change after fifth grade. Both are Portland public schools in the same district, but Beverly Cleary's extended grade band reduces the number of school transitions a family navigates before high school.