Lent Elementary School vs Arleta Elementary School

Lent Elementary School ranks #21 of 1,226 Oregon schools, placing it 40 spots ahead of Arleta Elementary School at #61 — both in the state's top 5%, but Lent's overall rating of 9.3/10 edges Arleta's 8.9/10 by 0.4 points. That gap is driven primarily by Lent's exceptional growth score rather than a broad academic advantage, making the difference meaningful for families weighing trajectory against baseline performance.

On academics, Arleta Elementary School holds a 0.5-point lead over Lent Elementary School — 8.6/10 versus 8.1/10 — suggesting stronger current proficiency levels. Growth tells the opposite story: Lent's 9.9/10 growth score outpaces Arleta's 9.2/10 by 0.7 points, which is the highest tier in Oregon. Students entering Lent behind grade level are gaining ground at a faster clip, a signal that the school's instructional approach is producing measurable year-over-year progress regardless of where kids start.

The two schools enroll nearly identical numbers — Arleta Elementary School 274 students, Lent Elementary School 273 — so size is a wash. The student-teacher ratio is not: Lent's 13.7:1 gives students meaningfully more face time with teachers than Arleta's 17.1:1, a difference of 3.4 students per classroom that compounds across a school day. Lent also serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students, with 73% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch versus 65% at Arleta, yet it achieves its superior overall rating from that starting point — which amplifies the significance of its growth score.

Both schools serve kindergarten through fifth grade and sit 1.6 miles apart in Portland, so families in the attendance zone overlap face a genuine choice. Arleta's academic score advantage indicates higher current test performance; Lent's student-teacher ratio and growth score indicate a learning environment where individual progress is tracked and accelerated more aggressively.