Creston Elementary School vs Winterhaven School

Creston Elementary School holds a 0.5-point overall rating edge over Winterhaven School — 9.6/10 versus 9.1/10 — yet both schools rank among Oregon's best out of 1,226 schools. Creston Elementary School sits at #4 in the state, while Winterhaven School ranks #38. That gap is smaller than the numbers suggest in absolute terms, but for parents weighing top-tier options just 1.8 miles apart in Portland, the distinction is real.

On academics, the two schools nearly flip the script: Winterhaven School scores 10.0/10 to Creston Elementary School's 9.8/10, a marginal but notable edge in raw academic proficiency. Growth scores are nearly identical — Creston Elementary School at 9.7/10 and Winterhaven School at 9.6/10 — meaning both schools accelerate student progress at an elite pace regardless of where kids start. Neither school shows a meaningful advantage in pushing students beyond their baseline.

The sharpest difference between the two schools is demographic. Creston Elementary School enrolls 78% of students on free or reduced lunch compared to 23% at Winterhaven School. Creston Elementary School achieves its near-perfect academic and growth scores serving a predominantly low-income population — a meaningful equity signal. Winterhaven School's enrollment is 315 students versus Creston Elementary School's 238, and the student-teacher ratio at Winterhaven School is 19.7:1 compared to 15.9:1 at Creston Elementary School, giving Creston families roughly 4 fewer students per classroom on average.

Grade span is the most structural difference: Creston Elementary School runs kindergarten through 5th grade, while Winterhaven School extends from kindergarten through 8th grade. Families choosing Winterhaven School avoid a middle school transition entirely, keeping children in the same building and community for nine years. Creston Elementary School offers no such continuity, but its smaller class sizes and exceptional performance across a high-need student body make it one of the most effective elementary schools in the state.