Llewellyn Elementary School vs Woodlawn Elementary School

Llewellyn Elementary School and Woodlawn Elementary School sit within the same Portland, Oregon public system yet land at opposite ends of the district's performance spectrum. Woodlawn ranks #16 of 1,226 Oregon elementary schools while Llewellyn ranks #22 — both elite positions, but Woodlawn edges ahead overall despite carrying a larger socioeconomic challenge. Their composite ratings are separated by just 0.1 points (Woodlawn 9.4/10, Llewellyn 9.3/10), making this one of the tightest comparisons in the state.

The academic picture breaks sharply between the two schools. Llewellyn Elementary School scores 9.9/10 on academic proficiency versus Woodlawn Elementary School's 9.1/10 — a 0.8-point gap that reflects meaningfully higher current test performance. Woodlawn flips the script on growth: its 9.8/10 growth score outpaces Llewellyn's 9.0/10 by 0.8 points, signaling that Woodlawn is accelerating students at an exceptional rate relative to their starting points. Families weighing a high-achieving peer environment against demonstrated student-growth momentum will find a genuine trade-off here.

The demographic profiles of these schools are starkly different. Llewellyn Elementary School enrolls 393 students with 19% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a student-teacher ratio of 15.7:1. Woodlawn Elementary School serves 299 students, 64% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, with a ratio of 16.6:1. That 45-percentage-point FRL gap means these schools draw from substantially different socioeconomic communities, which makes Woodlawn's near-identical overall rating all the more notable — it is producing top-16 statewide outcomes from a much higher-need starting point.

One structural difference separates them before the first academic year even begins: Woodlawn Elementary School offers a pre-kindergarten program (PK–05), while Llewellyn Elementary School starts at kindergarten (KG–05). For families with a four-year-old, Woodlawn provides an additional entry point and the continuity of keeping a child in one building longer. The two schools are 6.8 miles apart, so neighborhood proximity will naturally factor into the decision for most Portland families.