Portland's Winterhaven School tops Oregon elementary rankings

Winterhaven School in Southeast Portland ranks as the best public elementary school in Oregon, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2027 rankings.

The K-8 school at 3830 SE 14th Ave. placed first out of 721 ranked elementary schools statewide. It also ranked No. 4 among Oregon middle schools. U.S. News rated Winterhaven's reading and math performance as "well above expectations," and the school earned the No. 1 spot in both reading proficiency and math proficiency among elementary schools statewide.

Eighty-two percent of Winterhaven students scored at or above the proficient level in math, and 82% hit that mark in reading, according to the U.S. News profile. Those numbers far exceed the Portland Public Schools (PPS) district averages of 50% in math and 56% in reading. Statewide, just 33% of students tested proficient in math and 42% in reading.

Winterhaven is a focus option school within PPS, meaning families across the district can apply. The school emphasizes science, technology, engineering, the arts and math, known as STEAM, according to its website. Its stated mission centers on preparing students to solve real-world problems through project-based learning and hands-on activities.

The school enrolls 322 students with a 20-to-1 student-teacher ratio. All 16 full-time teachers are certified. Forty-two percent of students are economically disadvantaged, according to U.S. News.

Mark Sandilands serves as principal, according to the Oregon Department of Education's report card for the school.

The U.S. News methodology, published in October 2026, weights math and reading proficiency rates at 50% and performance in the context of socioeconomic characteristics at 50%. The rankings draw on 2023-2024 state assessment data collected by RTI International, a social science research institute.

Portland schools claimed several spots on the statewide list. Six of the top 10 Oregon elementary schools are in Portland, with two in Lake Oswego and one in Beaverton.