Scott Elementary School vs Winterhaven School

Scott Elementary School and Winterhaven School are both Portland public elementaries, but they sit 34 spots apart in the Oregon state rankings. Winterhaven ranks #25 of 1,226 Oregon schools, while Scott Elementary ranks #59 of 1,226 — both genuinely strong placements in the top 5% statewide, but Winterhaven holds a clear edge at the top of that tier. The overall rating gap is narrow at 0.4 points, with Winterhaven scoring 9.4/10 against Scott's 9.0/10, but that headline number understates the divergence on specific performance dimensions.

Academically, the two schools are not close. Winterhaven School scores a perfect 10.0/10 on academic performance, while Scott Elementary School scores 7.5/10 — a 2.5-point gap that represents a substantial difference in tested proficiency. The picture flips on growth: Scott Elementary edges ahead with a 9.9/10 growth score versus Winterhaven's 9.6/10, meaning Scott is exceptionally effective at accelerating student progress relative to their starting points. Families weighing raw achievement against value-added impact will read those two data points very differently depending on where their child enters.

Scott Elementary School enrolls 500 students against Winterhaven's 315, and their demographic profiles diverge sharply. Sixty-four percent of Scott students qualify for free or reduced lunch versus 23% at Winterhaven School — a 41-point gap that reflects meaningfully different community contexts. Scott also provides more adult attention per student: its 14.7:1 student-teacher ratio is notably lower than Winterhaven's 19.7:1, which is a concrete structural advantage for a higher-needs population.

Winterhaven School extends through grade 8, while Scott Elementary School serves kindergarten through grade 5 only. That grade span difference is significant for families thinking beyond the elementary years — Winterhaven allows a child to stay in the same school community through middle school, avoiding a transition at grade 6. The two schools sit 5.0 miles apart within Portland, making geography a real factor for families weighing commute against program fit.