Lewis and Clark Montessori Charter School, Gresham OR

Original Research by School Decision on Lewis and Clark Montessori Charter School

Lewis and Clark Montessori Charter School, a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Gresham, offers a Montessori approach within the Gresham-Barlow School District. With a modest enrollment and a single campus, the school provides a through-route from early elementary to the end of middle school without requiring a transition between buildings.

The school’s student body has a composition worth noting. The majority of students are white, with a much smaller share identifying as Hispanic or of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported for the school year in the available data, so those shares are not available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of special education and language support services.

The academic picture from state assessments is mixed and shows a clear pattern. In English language arts, proficiency rates rise with each grade, from around a quarter of third graders meeting the bar to more than half of middle schoolers. That upward trajectory is a positive signal, suggesting the Montessori approach may build literacy skills effectively over time. Math tells a different story. Across all tested grades, math proficiency rates are low, hovering in the low to mid-twenties through elementary school and climbing only into the mid-thirties by eighth grade. The overall proficiency index, which averages results across subjects and grade levels, places the school in the top quartile among schools in Multnomah County districts, but that comparative strength comes mainly from the stronger English language arts results. In math, a parent should expect that a child may need supplemental support to meet grade-level standards; it would be reasonable to ask the school how it addresses math instruction within the Montessori framework.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to examine. No chronic absenteeism data was reported for this school year.

The school is located in Gresham, a city served by three separate school districts. The downtown core is centered around Main City Park and City Hall, near the Gresham Central MAX light rail station. Schools in the city are spread across the Centennial, Gresham-Barlow, and Reynolds districts, not clustered in one area. Gresham High School, Sam Barlow High School, Springwater Trail High School, and others serve the city’s high school students. Mount Hood Community College is on a separated campus in Gresham and offers associate degrees. For families living in Gresham, the charter school draws from across the city, so the commute may vary depending on where a family lives relative to the campus.

The Gresham-Barlow School District’s recent parent-relevant changes were searched but little of lasting impact was found, so there is no notable district-level news to report.

For a family considering Lewis and Clark Montessori, the school offers a distinctive educational philosophy in a small, K-through-eight setting. Students emerge from the school with relatively strong reading and writing skills compared to many peer schools in the county, but math proficiency is a clear area where the school’s results lag. A family who values the Montessori model and is prepared to provide extra support in math may find the school a good fit. A family for whom strong math outcomes are a priority might want to look into this further with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 24% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 21% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 20% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 17% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 18% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 17% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 30% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 41% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 29% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 29% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 30% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 21% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 17% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolGresham-Barlow SD 10J, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.