Creston Elementary School, PK–5 tuition-free public neighborhood school in Portland

Creston Elementary School

a tuition-free public neighborhood school in Portland

PK–5 · Public · Neighborhood · Portland Public Schools

4701 SE Bush St, Portland · Alaina Langdahl

Creston is a small, tight-knit SE Portland neighborhood school that has been quietly putting up some of the strongest academic gains in the district. For families evaluating Creston, the 2024-25 data tells an impressive story: math proficiency jumped 11 points in a single year to 67%, nearly double the Oregon average of 36%, and science proficiency climbed 25 points to 64%, against a state average of 31%. Regular attendance rose 8 points to 77%, well above the state average of 67%, suggesting students genuinely want to be there. Class sizes average 17 students, well below the Oregon norm of 23, meaning teachers actually know their kids. The school's garden program, run in partnership with Grow Portland, brings monthly hands-on sessions into the school day, and an active PTA sustains everything from community events to STEAM Night to the garden work parties that keep the grounds running year-round. In previous years, kindergarteners had looped with the same teacher and classmates through first grade, building deep relationships and confidence over two years in the same room with familiar faces. It is currently unconfirmed but worth reaching out to see if the practice still exists as it was a much-loved part of the younger years at Creston.

Importantly, the school also houses the Columbia Regional Inclusive Services (CRIS) for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, creating an inclusive environment where accessibility and communication diversity are woven into the school culture. For families seeking a school where learning happens in gardens and where inclusion means students of all abilities learn side by side, Creston offers a grounded, hands-on approach to elementary education.

PK–5 grades

~238 students

15:1 student-teacher

17 average class

Tuition-free neighborhood school

Tuition: Tuition-Free Public

Address: 4701 SE Bush St, Portland OR 97206. Phone: 503-916-6340. Website: pps.net/creston.

PPS rightsizing · a proposal, not a decision

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The basics

A day here

The schedule

Before & after school

The campus

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worth asking about on the tour

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Who goes here

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Academic performance

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Oregon average, same source.

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The support

Getting in

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Your odds in the lottery

Seats here aren’t first-come; they’re drawn by lottery. Each circle below is a tenth of the families who applied over the last two springs and stayed in the running (didn’t take a higher-ranked school). Filled circles got a yes.

but it depends who you are

{{ oddsSrcCaret }} where these numbers come from

Official PPS lottery results, 2025-26 & 2026-27 combined: offers made ÷ families still in the running (offered + waitlisted); applications cancelled for a higher-ranked school excluded. pps.net › prior transfer data. Slots reset every year.

Tuition

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