Creston Elementary School vs Portland Arthur Academy Charter School

Creston Elementary School holds a 0.5-point edge over Portland Arthur Academy Charter School in overall rating — 9.6 versus 9.1 out of 10 — but the state rank gap is more telling. Creston Elementary School sits at #4 of 1,226 schools in Oregon, while Portland Arthur Academy Charter School ranks #39 of 1,226. Both are exceptional by any standard, placing in the top 3% statewide, yet Creston's position in the top five schools in Oregon makes it one of the most high-performing elementary schools in the state.

Academically, Creston Elementary School scores 9.8 out of 10 versus Portland Arthur Academy Charter School's 9.3 — a half-point delta that reflects consistently stronger tested proficiency. The growth score gap is similar: Creston Elementary School earns a 9.7 compared to Portland Arthur Academy Charter School's 9.0, meaning Creston students are advancing at a faster rate relative to their starting points, not just arriving with stronger baselines. Together, these numbers suggest Creston drives more measurable academic momentum year over year.

The demographic profiles of the two schools diverge sharply. Creston Elementary School enrolls 238 students with a free and reduced-price lunch rate of 78%, signaling it serves a predominantly low-income population — making its near-perfect academic and growth scores particularly striking. Portland Arthur Academy Charter School enrolls 164 students and has a 30% free and reduced-price lunch rate, indicating a more economically advantaged student body. Student-teacher ratios are close: Creston Elementary School at 15.9:1 versus Portland Arthur Academy Charter School at 16.4:1, a negligible difference in daily classroom experience.

Both schools are KG–05 programs located just 2.0 miles apart in Portland, Oregon. The structural distinction is governance: Creston Elementary School operates as a regular public school within Portland Public Schools, while Portland Arthur Academy Charter School functions as a charter, which typically means a distinct admissions process, enrollment lottery, and school-specific curriculum approach. Families pursuing the charter model gain a smaller, more economically diverse-in-a-different-direction environment, while Creston's placement within the district system means neighborhood enrollment priority and a proven track record of closing achievement gaps at scale.