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About 30 Oregon elementary schools are exceeding expectations when analyzing third-grade literacy scores against poverty rates, and seven of those overachievers belong to Portland Public Schools, a national analysis by The 74 found.
The data, first released in November, is part of a project known as “Bright Spots.” Researchers mapped 2024 state exam performances in third grade literacy at elementary schools nationwide against poverty rates at those schools. (Third grade literacy is often a good predictor of future outcomes. Poverty rates were calculated by looking at free and reduced-price lunch rates and the actual number of students who qualify, taking whichever rate was higher.)
The goal of the analysis was to find the few schools overcoming the odds, ones where their poverty rates would typically lead researchers to expect lower performance.
Researchers calculated trend lines, expecting students from more affluent schools to perform better than their counterparts at less affluent schools. In each state, researchers found schools they deemed “exceptional” because they were “in the top 5% of their state in terms of outscoring their expected reading proficiency.” In Oregon, there are about 30.
In The 74’s analysis, Portland Public Schools was a clear standout in the state.
Oregon’s largest district saw seven of its 51 elementary schools and K-8s featured as bright spots in the analysis. The bulk of its elementary schools, even if not exceptional, fell above the state’s expected trend line, while 10 of its schools fell below it.
That’s data the district could examine as its superintendent, Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, continues to push improved literacy rates as one of her top priorities. And it comes as PPS officials have said they’re trying to boost outcomes by fostering collaboration among schools.
The seven district schools that the analysis deemed exceptional were Buckman, Chief Joseph, Creston, Lewis, Richmond, and Woodlawn elementary schools. Vernon K-8 also made the list.
Chief Joseph’s students appeared to be outperforming expectations the most: Researchers calculated an expected third grade reading proficiency of 35%, while students there reported a 71% proficiency.
Interestingly, schools outperforming expectations and district schools missing the mark were spread across poverty levels. For example, while higher-poverty schools such as Rosa Parks and Marysville elementary schools fell short of expectations in the analysis, so did more affluent schools like Duniway.
PPS entered into a new districtwide partnership this year with Reading Results, a Portland-based nonprofit that focuses on high-dosage tutoring, a scientifically backed approach to improving reading outcomes. (Some schools in the district had previously partnered independently with Reading Results.)
Hillsboro School District was the only other Portland-area district to reports an exceptional school. The analysis of all schools in Oregon showed a mixed bag, with many schools concentrated below the expected trend line, making PPS’s ratio all the more interesting. Nationwide, The 74 identified 2,158 exceptional schools.
The data from The 74 also adds nuance to some research by the Urban Institute, which in early 2025 released an analysis of national exam scores for each state, adjusted for demographics such as race and poverty. In that analysis, Oregon is at the bottom of the barrel.
Read and interact with The 74’s analysis here.
