Irvington Elementary School vs Peninsula Elementary School

Irvington Elementary School and Peninsula Elementary School are two of Portland's strongest elementaries, separated by just 0.2 rating points — 9.4/10 versus 9.2/10. That narrow gap masks meaningful differences underneath. Irvington ranks #15 of 1,226 Oregon elementary schools; Peninsula ranks #29 of the same pool. Both placements put these schools in the top 2.5% statewide, making the choice between them a genuine split decision rather than an obvious call.

Academically, the gap widens. Irvington Elementary School scores 9.3/10 on academics against Peninsula Elementary School's 8.2/10 — a full point difference, reflecting stronger absolute proficiency on state assessments. Peninsula closes ground on growth: its 9.9/10 growth score edges Irvington's 9.6/10, meaning Peninsula students are adding learning at a marginally faster rate relative to their starting points. Parents weighing a child who enters behind grade level may find Peninsula's growth trajectory more relevant than Irvington's higher proficiency floor.

The starkest difference between the two schools is economic makeup. Irvington Elementary School serves 26% of students on free or reduced-price lunch; Peninsula Elementary School serves 64%. Both schools enroll almost identical numbers — 235 at Irvington, 234 at Peninsula — and their student-teacher ratios are functionally identical at 15.7:1 and 15.6:1 respectively. The FRL gap signals different community contexts: Peninsula operates in a higher-need neighborhood and still achieves a near-top statewide rank, which speaks to its instructional effectiveness given its demographic starting point.

Both schools run kindergarten through fifth grade, so families are comparing identical grade spans over the same elementary years. At 3.7 miles apart within Portland, neither school represents a dramatic geographic tradeoff for families on the city's northeast and north sides. The structural parity — same grades, same enrollment, nearly identical class sizes — means the practical differences come down to academic proficiency level, growth momentum, and the economic and community context each school reflects.