Markham Elementary School vs Stephenson Elementary School

Markham Elementary School holds a slight edge in overall rating, scoring 9.3/10 against Stephenson Elementary School's 9.0/10 — a 0.3-point gap that nonetheless translates to a meaningful difference in state standing: Markham ranks #29 of 1,226 Oregon schools while Stephenson ranks #60. Both results place these Portland neighbors in the top 5% statewide, so the gap is a distinction between two high-performing schools rather than a contrast between strong and weak.

The academic picture flips when you look underneath the overall number. Stephenson Elementary School leads on raw academic achievement with a 9.9/10 academic score compared to Markham Elementary School's 9.4/10 — a five-tenths gap suggesting Stephenson students are currently testing at a higher level. Markham, however, outpaces Stephenson on growth: 9.4/10 versus 8.9/10, meaning Markham is adding more learning progress per student per year. A family weighing current performance against upward trajectory will land differently depending on which metric they prioritize.

The demographic and classroom-environment differences are starker. Markham Elementary School enrolls 402 students compared to Stephenson Elementary School's 310, and its student-teacher ratio of 16.1:1 is notably better than Stephenson's 20.7:1 — roughly four and a half fewer students per teacher. That ratio advantage comes alongside a very different socioeconomic profile: 64% of Markham students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch versus just 12% at Stephenson. Both schools deliver top-tier outcomes despite serving populations at opposite ends of the economic spectrum, which speaks to the strength of Markham's instruction in particular.

Both schools cover grades KG–05 and sit 1.2 miles apart in southwest Portland, so geography alone is unlikely to determine the choice. The two schools are structurally similar in scope; what differentiates them is Markham's more favorable student-teacher ratio and stronger growth score alongside its much higher FRL population, versus Stephenson's standout academic proficiency score and smaller, lower-need enrollment.