Emerson School

Emerson School is one of the tight-knit elementary campuss in Portland, Oregon, operated by Portland SD 1J, with 130 students on its rolls from grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 60% below the state mean of about 321.

Across the 86 schools in Portland SD 1J (41,894 students total), Emerson School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Emerson School reports that 65% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school shows 16% multiracial, 15% Hispanic, 3% Black. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 7 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 18.4:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.5:1, putting Emerson School higher than the state norm the norm.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Multnomah County put median household income runs about $88,766, roughly 49% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Multnomah County runs 169 public schools (combined enrollment of about 81,096 students), of which Emerson School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Lincoln High School, around 0.9 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Emerson School.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area. As a public charter, Emerson School runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 8%: 142 students in 2018 compared to 130 in 2025. The White share of enrollment edged up from 57% to 65% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 22.2:1 in 2018 to 18.4:1 today.

On allk12, the feed for Emerson School typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.