Hayhurst Elementary School, Portland OR

Original Research by School Decision on Hayhurst Elementary School

Hayhurst Elementary School is a regular public school in Portland, Oregon, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of Portland Public Schools (Portland SD 1J), the largest school district in the state. The school sits in the southwest part of the city, in a residential area of single-family homes, and its K-8 structure means students can attend the same campus through middle school years, eliminating a typical transition between elementary and middle grades.

The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable group of students who identify as two or more races, and smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, and Asian students. A meaningful share of students come from lower-income households, though it is not a majority. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so families looking for specific supports in those areas may want to check directly with the school.

Academically, Hayhurst performs at a level that places it among the top schools in Multnomah County relative to other districts. State assessment results from the most recent school year show that across tested subjects and grades, overall proficiency is well above the county median. In English language arts, students in the upper grades especially show strong results, with middle school grades reaching notably high proficiency rates. Math results vary more by grade, with the strongest showing in seventh grade and somewhat lower rates in fifth grade. Science proficiency, tested only in fifth and eighth grades, is around the midpoint, with eighth graders slightly below their fifth-grade peers. Because only a single year of state test data is available, it is not possible to see trends over time, but the snapshot is favorable.

The school covers a wide grade span, and the enrollment is moderate for that span. Class sizes across the elementary grades are typical for a public school of this size; the upper grades have much smaller cohorts, which may mean more individualized attention for those students. No data on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or discipline incidents is available, so parents interested in those aspects would need to inquire further.

The surrounding housing market is expensive. Home values in the area are well above national and state medians, reflecting Portland's overall cost of living. Rents are also high. For families seeking to buy or rent near the school, affordability is a real consideration.

Portland itself is a major Pacific Northwest city with a dense downtown, extensive transit and bike infrastructure, and a strong identity around sustainability and civic culture. The city's population has declined slightly since 2020, but the metro area continues to grow. Portland Public Schools has faced its own challenges: enrollment has dropped significantly since the pandemic, leading the district to pursue a school consolidation process in recent years. At the same time, voters considered the largest school bond in Oregon history in 2024 to fund facility improvements, seismic upgrades, and safety projects. That bond outcome, along with any school closures or mergers, could affect attendance boundaries and building conditions.

For a family looking at Hayhurst, the core takeaway is a school with solid academic performance relative to its county peers, a K-8 configuration that avoids an early transition, and a student body that is predominantly white with modest economic diversity. The school sits in a pricey housing market within a large city whose school district is undergoing significant changes. Families who value strong test scores in a stable neighborhood setting may find this a good fit, while those seeking more data on student support services or disciplinary climate will need to gather that directly from the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 56% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 56% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 49% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 46% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 783%

School 83% · District 50% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 46% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 55% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 59% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 60% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 55% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 783%

School 83% · District 59% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 57% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 45% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 41% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

This schoolPortland SD 1J, 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.