The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mckinley Elementary School
McKinley Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the western part of Beaverton, part of the Beaverton School District. The school sits on Northwest 185th Avenue, in a largely residential section of the city that blends suburban neighborhoods with the broader Portland metro area. Beaverton itself is a mid-sized economic hub in Washington County, home to technology companies and the global headquarters of Nike, and the city has invested in transit-oriented development around its MAX Light Rail stations. The district recently opened a new middle school, Tumwater, in 2021, which reshaped some feeder patterns for the families who live near McKinley.
The school enrolls a sizable student body for an elementary school. The student population is diverse: the largest group is Hispanic, followed by White, Asian, Black, multiracial, and smaller shares of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a high-poverty context compared with many other elementary schools in the area. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the reporting, so the full picture of special population support is something a parent may want to ask the school about directly.
On state assessments in the most recent testing year, McKinley’s students performed well below the midpoint among districts in Washington County. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through five ran somewhat below the typical district average; in math, the rates were lower still; and in science, only a small share of fifth graders met the proficiency standard. The single year of data means that no trend can be established yet. A family considering this school will want to understand what academic supports are in place and how the school is working to raise outcomes, especially given that the proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile among county districts.
The housing market around the school is relatively expensive for the state, with home values and rents that have softened slightly over the past year but remain high relative to national averages. Buying a home in this area would require a household income well above the U.S. median, while renting is more accessible but still takes up a notable share of typical income. The neighborhood is suburban in character, with car-dependent commercial corridors along nearby highways, though the downtown Beaverton area offers a walkable core with a farmer’s market, food cart pods, and a performing arts center. For families who value transit access, the school is within reach of MAX Light Rail stations that connect to the broader Portland region.
McKinley is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. It did not report data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios, so those are gaps a family might want to fill by visiting or speaking with the principal. The district itself is large and covers a wide geographic area, and the 2021 opening of a new middle school has changed the pipeline for students leaving McKinley. For families choosing this elementary school, the main considerations will be the diverse student body, the high level of economic need, and the academic performance that currently trails county averages, set against the broader community context of a dynamic, well-resourced suburban city with strong employment and transit connections.
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