The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Centennial Middle School
Centennial Middle School in southeast Portland serves grades six through eight as a regular public school within the Centennial School District 28J. It sits in a residential area of the city that is part of the broader Portland metro, a large urban center with a mix of dense commercial districts and quieter neighborhoods. The district itself, based on publicly available records, has not recently reported major changes that would reshape the school’s direction, so the current profile reflects a stable operation.
Academically, Centennial Middle School posts proficiency rates that are relatively modest in absolute terms. On the Oregon state assessments for the 2024–2025 school year, English language arts proficiency is highest among sixth graders and declines slightly in seventh and eighth grade, while math proficiency is consistent across all three grades, sitting roughly at one in five students meeting the bar. Science, tested only in eighth grade, shows a similar pattern. A single year of data is available, so there is no trend line to judge improvement or decline.
The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades is above the midpoint when measured against other districts in Multnomah County. That positioning is worth noting: while the raw percentages are below what many families might hope for, the school is performing in the upper half of the county’s districts, which includes Portland Public Schools and several other systems. A parent considering this school may want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet meeting state benchmarks, especially given that the proficiency rates leave room for growth.
The student body is diverse and economically mixed, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a common marker of poverty in school data. White students make up the largest single group, followed by Hispanic students and Asian students, with Black students, students of two or more races, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students, and American Indian or Alaska Native students also represented. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learner status in the available information, so families with children in those categories would need to contact the school directly for details on services and staffing ratios.
Centennial Middle School is not a charter or magnet school, so it draws from its designated attendance zone. No information was provided on course access, such as advanced classes or electives, nor on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing credentials. These are gaps a parent would want to fill before making a decision. The school’s size is moderate for a middle school, with roughly comparable numbers of students in each grade.
The housing context in the area surrounding the school shows that Portland’s cost of living has been rising, and the city’s population has seen a slight decline since the 2020 census. Home values and rents in the zip code are typical for the metro area, though still high enough to present a challenge for many households. The school’s high poverty rate suggests that a significant portion of families in the attendance zone are feeling that pressure.
For a family considering Centennial Middle School, the picture is one of a typical urban middle school with a diverse, lower-income student population and academic results that are middling relative to state averages but hold up reasonably well within the county. The school does not offer the strong proficiency outcomes some families seek, but neither is it at the bottom of the local pack. Because the available data leaves out several dimensions of school life, including programs and climate, a visit and a conversation with school staff would be essential to understand whether this is a fit for a particular child.
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