Whitcomb Elementary School, Milwaukie OR

Original Research by School Decision on Whitcomb Elementary School

Whitcomb Elementary School is a regular public school in the North Clackamas School District 12, serving students from kindergarten through fifth grade in the Milwaukie neighborhood. The school is large enough to support a full grade-level team at each grade, a scale that structures how the school day runs and how a principal allocates staff and resources.

Milwaukie itself is a Portland suburb with a distinct identity. It has a small downtown with a farmers market and a light-rail connection to the city, but the school sits in a residential area rather than the downtown core. A major state highway splits the city, and the downtown has ongoing planning for walkability improvements, but for now most daily errands require a car. Housing in the area carries a cost that fits within the metro region, but monthly mortgage and rent estimates relative to local incomes suggest affordability is a stretch for many households.

The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the racial and ethnic makeup includes a large Hispanic population, a significant white population, and a smaller but present Black, Asian, and multiracial student body. This composition reflects the broader Milwaukie community. The data did not include counts for students in special education or English learner programs, which a parent may want to ask the school about directly.

Academically, state test results show a soft spot. In the most recent testing year, the share of students meeting proficiency standards in English language arts was below a quarter, and in math it was below a tenth. Science proficiency was also low. Compared with other districts in Clackamas County, this school sits in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. These are plain numbers, and a parent considering this school will want to understand what the school is doing to address them. The school does not serve grades that produce a graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data, so those measures do not apply here.

The North Clackamas district has seen several recent changes that affect how Whitcomb operates. The district adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum in 2023 based on the science of reading, which emphasizes phonics and evidence-based instruction—a shift that touches every K-5 classroom. Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, elementary schools started their day earlier, a district-wide schedule change that families and caregivers will need to factor into their mornings. A capital bond that would have funded facility improvements across the district, including at aging buildings, was voted down in 2024, which leaves a gap in funded infrastructure work.

Whitcomb is a neighborhood elementary school serving a community with modest incomes and a diverse population. Its academic scores are low relative to other schools in the county, and the district is in the middle of curriculum changes and schedule adjustments that will shape the day-to-day experience for students and families.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 36%

School 6% · District 40% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 42 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 38% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 43% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 45% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 51% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 33% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

This schoolNorth Clackamas SD 12, 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.