Whitman Elementary School

As a compact elementary school in Portland, Oregon, Whitman Elementary School caters to 198 students from grades K through 5, run under Portland SD 1J. That puts it 38% smaller than the typical public school in Oregon, which averages around 321 students.

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

For racial and ethnic makeup, Whitman Elementary School logs that the most-represented group is White (31%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest consists of 27% Hispanic, 15% multiracial, 11% Black, 10% Asian. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 68%.

On the resource side, On paper, Whitman Elementary School has 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 16.5:1 average. An estimated 115% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably above Multnomah County's rate of about 75%.

Across the wider county, Multnomah County reports that the typical household earns roughly $88,766 per year, 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 Whitman Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Woodmere Elementary School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Whitman Elementary School.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 26%: 267 students in 2018 compared to 198 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 39% to 31% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.7:1 in 2018 to 12.3:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.