Vernon Elementary School

As a well-populated elementary-level community in Portland, Oregon, Vernon Elementary School educates 564 students from grades pre-K through 8, operated by Portland SD 1J. Compared to the state average of about 321 students per school, that is 76% larger than typical.

Within Portland SD 1J, which oversees 86 schools and 41,894 students, Vernon Elementary School is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Vernon Elementary School logs that 54% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder breaks down as 16% Black, 16% multiracial, 12% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 68% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Vernon Elementary School has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.5:1, putting Vernon Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. Around 42% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Multnomah County runs at roughly 75%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Vernon Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 46.4%, the actual is 49.6%, a residual of +3.2 points.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Multnomah County put median household earnings sit near $88,766, roughly 49% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Vernon Elementary School is one of 169 public schools in Multnomah County (combined enrollment of about 81,096 students).

Nearest neighbor: Rivercrest Academy, around 0.5 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Vernon Elementary School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Vernon Elementary School at 3rd of 6; the average score across the group is 43.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 8%: 522 students in 2018 compared to 564 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment fell from 21% to 16% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.