Peninsula Elementary School

8125 North Emerald Avenue

School District

Portland 1j
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

School Map for Portland School District 1j

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on June 15, 2024

My children just finished 5th grade after starting at Peninsula for Kindergarten and we absolutely loved our time here. The teachers and staff are fabulous, and my kids made excellent connections with them all. The school community is so welcoming and it has been so fun getting to know everyone as we moved on through the years. My son started his time with some reading difficulties, but these problems were quickly identified and addressed and he has blossomed so much with the supports provided. We feel so lucky that this was our neighborhood school, and would recommend it to anyone!
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2022

Everything about this school has EXCEEDED my highest expectations! This is my first year at this school and it's been a remarkable year. Everything about this school has been fantastic. The teachers and staff are of another world! They treat these kids with kindness, respect, and compassion and have put a lot of effort into building a supportive community within its gates. They're hyper-focused on the emotional well-being and development of these kids. They teach through fun, encouragement, and support rather than strict discipline, grates, or tests. They let kids be kids and are focused more on creating lifelong learners. I am so lucky I ignored the "scores" that the school has and took a gamble because now I feel like I won the hidden lottery.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2021

Our experience with Peninsula has been exceptionally positive.Both our sons have special needs, but in very different ways. Since we started them at Peninsula they both have started feeling valued and cared for beyond anything we could have imagined. Special services and general education teachers alike have gone out of their way to support our boys.At their previous school they were made to feel they were wrong, unwanted, a target for bullies, with no system of support.Peninsula has made them feel like family. We couldn’t be more happy there!I’ve given them top marks in everything, although we’ve had no experience with bullies at the school, so I couldn’t properly rate that one. Either my boys haven’t run into any bullies or the system for dealing with bullying is so good we didn’t notice any! Either way, we’re happy!
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2020

I have a child in kinder and another in 2nd grade. We considered other schools, including the school that I am a teacher at, but decided to stay for a variety of reasons. We're happy with our decision! Smaller class sizes than any other school we looked at (Both kids have classes under 20.) Music 2x/week, PE 3x, Library 2x, Art 1x, a garden that students help plant/harvest each year. Racially and economically diverse student body. Home visits by teachers at the start of the year. Each kid has gone on multiple field trips this year. Varying homework policies depending on the teacher (Yeah for teacher autonomy!) An active PTA that hosts great events and is steadily working to improve the school (the playground is the weakest point in our opinion.) Our kids like their teachers, have friends, are learning, and like their school! Go Panthers!
Submitted by other on August 25, 2016

The teachers and staff go above and beyond for each and every student. My son started kindergarten with no letter recognition or reading skills whatsoever. By the end of the year, he's reading EVERYTHING and he loves it! There are so many positive things that happened, I can't post them all. I'll just say that 1st grade starts in a few days and we're excited to see what he learns this year.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2015

We moved from out of state, and I was nervous about sending my children to a school with a "5" rating on this website. However, we are now in our second year at Peninsula, and I am happy that this is our neighborhood school. My family attends school functions, and I volunteer for events when I can. And because I am involved, by children are known by parents and administrators, which makes me feel good. I love that every face at Peninsula is familiar, even of those whose names I don't know. Getting involved in the school has done a lot to change my perception. I understand that a "5" rating (which is based on test scores) doesn't automatically mean that a school is bad one. There are so many other factors that make a school a good one, and I see that now from the inside.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2015

I am a parent of a first grader at Peninsula and I am sad to say, I would not recommend this school. I wanted to love it because it is our neighborhood school and when my son started their in kindergarden it had such promise, but then the Principle left and they have hired a new one who has made many changes that were not for the better.