Creston Elementary School vs Irvington Elementary School

Creston Elementary School and Irvington Elementary School sit 3.6 miles apart in Portland, Oregon, and are separated by just 0.2 rating points — Creston at 9.6/10, Irvington at 9.4/10. That slim gap understates their positional difference in state rankings: Creston holds the #4 spot among 1,226 Oregon elementary schools, while Irvington ranks #15. Both are exceptional by any statewide measure, but Creston edges ahead in absolute standing.

The clearest academic separation is in test performance. Creston Elementary School scores 9.8/10 on academics versus Irvington Elementary School's 9.3/10 — a 0.5-point gap that translates to a meaningful difference in measured proficiency. Growth scores, which capture how much students improve year over year independent of where they started, are nearly identical: Creston 9.7/10, Irvington 9.6/10. Both schools are moving students forward at an elite pace; neither has a meaningful advantage here.

The sharpest contrast between the two schools is demographic. Creston Elementary School serves a high-need population — 78% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — while Irvington Elementary School's rate is 26%. Enrollment is nearly identical (Creston 238, Irvington 235), and student-teacher ratios are essentially the same at 15.9:1 and 15.7:1 respectively. That Creston achieves its #4 state ranking while serving a predominantly low-income student body is a notable equity story; its academic outcomes are produced under conditions that typically correlate with lower performance.

Both schools serve grades KG through 05 with comparable class sizes, so structural program differences are limited by available data. The distinction that matters most for families is context: Irvington's outcomes come from a more affluent, lower-FRL population, while Creston's near-identical ratings are earned across a far more economically diverse enrollment. A 0.2-point overall gap between schools ranked #4 and #15 in Oregon leaves little room to declare a clear winner on quality alone — the more meaningful question is which community context fits the family.