Woodlawn Elementary School vs Riverdale Grade School

Woodlawn Elementary School holds a narrow overall edge over Riverdale Grade School — 9.4/10 versus 9.1/10 — a 0.3-point gap that translates into a meaningful state rank separation: Woodlawn Elementary School sits at #16 of 1,226 Oregon schools while Riverdale Grade School ranks #40 of 1,226. Both schools place in Oregon's top 4%, so the difference is one of degree rather than kind, but for parents who prioritize raw standing, Woodlawn Elementary School claims the higher position.

The academic picture reverses when you drill into subscores. Riverdale Grade School posts a 9.9/10 academic score against Woodlawn Elementary School's 9.1/10 — a 0.8-point gap favoring Riverdale on tested proficiency. Woodlawn Elementary School more than compensates on growth, however, scoring 9.8/10 versus Riverdale Grade School's 8.6/10, a 1.2-point gap. That growth delta suggests Woodlawn Elementary School is advancing students from where they start at a faster rate, while Riverdale Grade School's students are achieving at a higher absolute proficiency level. Families who value year-over-year learning gains will read those numbers differently than families focused on grade-level mastery benchmarks.

Woodlawn Elementary School enrolls 299 students compared to Riverdale Grade School's 400, making it roughly one-third smaller. Student-teacher ratios are close — 16.6:1 at Woodlawn Elementary School versus 16.0:1 at Riverdale Grade School — so classroom size is not a meaningful differentiator between the two. The more relevant demographic context is that these are structurally similar-sized community schools sitting 9.3 miles apart across Portland, serving different neighborhoods with different socioeconomic compositions not captured in the available figures.

The most concrete structural difference is grade span. Woodlawn Elementary School serves grades PK–05, ending at fifth grade, which means families will transition their children to a separate middle school. Riverdale Grade School runs KG–08, carrying students through eighth grade and eliminating one school transition entirely. Riverdale also does not offer pre-kindergarten, so families with PK-age children have only one option between these two schools.