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Talmadge Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

285^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 368 Oregon Middle Schools

Better than 23% of Oregon middle schools

Summary

Talmadge Middle School is a public middle school located in Independence, Oregon, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 732 students. The school is part of the Central School District 13J, which is ranked 127 out of 140 districts in Oregon and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Talmadge Middle School has consistently been ranked in the bottom third of Oregon middle schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

Talmadge Middle School faces significant challenges, with consistently low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 34.5% to 42.1% over the past few years, and a student population that is predominantly economically disadvantaged, with 64.19% to 67.76% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The school's test scores are consistently below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranging from 28.8% to 36.9% and in Mathematics from 12.5% to 19.5%, compared to state averages of 41.6% to 44.2% and 28.9% to 31.5%, respectively. The school's student subgroups, such as Hispanic students and students with disabilities, also perform significantly worse than their peers across the state.

While Talmadge Middle School's gifted and talented students perform relatively well, ranking in the top 25% of Oregon middle schools, the overall picture suggests that the school is struggling to provide a high-quality education to the majority of its students. This is in contrast to nearby charter schools, such as Jane Goodall Environmental Middle Charter School and Howard Street Charter, which consistently rank in the top 15% of Oregon middle schools and have much higher proficiency rates in core academic subjects. Addressing the underlying issues at Talmadge Middle School, such as improving instructional practices, increasing student engagement, and providing targeted support to the school's most vulnerable populations, will be crucial in order to improve the school's overall outcomes.

716

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,156

Per pupil spending ?

94.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

51 16th Street
Independence, OR 97351

(503) 606-2252

District: Central School District 13J

Students who attend Talmadge Middle School usually attend:

High:

Central High School

Feeder schools for Talmadge Middle School:

Elementary:	Ash Creek Elementary School
	Independence Elementary School
	Monmouth Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.5%

White:

45.0%

Two or more races:

5.6%

See top rated Oregon middle schools

Compare Talmadge Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 23rd percentile in 2014 → 23rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Oregon average (24% vs 35% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the Oregon average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg24%

Oregon avg35%

285^th of 368

Oregon public middle schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Oregon Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

127^th of 140Central School District 13J among Oregon districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	285 of 368	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	290 of 371	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	303 of 380	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	309 of 367	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	313 of 379	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.9	316 of 384	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.9	290 of 382	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.6	284 of 383	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.3	248 of 381	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	28.4	296 of 382	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.8	267 of 377	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	35.2	297 of 395	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	37.6	254 of 357	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.6	235 of 343	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	28.9	257 of 323	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.7	250 of 315	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	43.8	186 of 295	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.7	138 of 285	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.1	134 of 271	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	30.6	201 of 270	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	24.7	248 of 316	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	230 of 313	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	264 of 323	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	260 of 310	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	235 of 277	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	304 of 342	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	70.5	27 of 104	74.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	23.5	166 of 196	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	168 of 196	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	178 of 201	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	191 of 194	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	172 of 191	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	192 of 210	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	189 of 240	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	197 of 244	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.7	201 of 312	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.4	306 of 364	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.8	241 of 282	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	293 of 325	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	252 of 330	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	264 of 323	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	261 of 318	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	269 of 312	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.9	219 of 291	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	273 of 341	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	85 of 133	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.3	106 of 125	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.2	68 of 114	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.8	72 of 115	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.3	62 of 137	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	102 of 180	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.1	135 of 156	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	172 of 206	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	224 of 351	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	220 of 349	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	231 of 360	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.7	244 of 355	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.9	265 of 344	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	267 of 357	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Gifted and Talented (2025)74th percentile+51 vs school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile+21 vs school

White (2025)36th percentile+14 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)36th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)24th percentile~ school

Female (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)21st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Oregon (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts33%-9 vs state

Science19%-8 vs state

Mathematics16%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Talmadge Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				OSAS English Language Arts (2025)			OSAS Mathematics (2025)			OSAS Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	OSAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 6th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 7th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 8th Grade	OSAS Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Talmadge Middle School	Public	6-8	51 16th Street	Independence	97351	Polk County	Central School District 13J	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 606-2252	716	38	18.8	94.6%	322 (45.0%)	3 (0.4%)	333 (46.5%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.1%)	8 (1.1%)	40 (5.6%)	25.3	285^th of 368 public middle schools	22.6%		23.9	290^th of 371 public middle schools	21.8%	5	34.7	36.9	28.8	16.6	19.5	12.5	18.8	$17,156	$1,547	$15,608
LaCreole Middle School	Public	6-8	701 SE LaCreole Dr	Dallas	97338	Polk County	Dallas School District 2	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 623-6662	569	31	18.4	70.3%	418 (73.5%)	2 (0.4%)	104 (18.3%)	6 (1.1%)	10 (1.8%)	3 (0.5%)	26 (4.6%)	48.5	168^th of 368 public middle schools	54.3%		26.1	276^th of 371 public middle schools	25.6%	108	45.7	53.8	42.7	29.3	22.1	23.8	26.3	$15,714	$639	$15,075
Crossler Middle School	Public	6-8	1155 Davis Rd S	Salem	97306	Marion County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 399-3444	804	33	24.3	88.8%	496 (61.7%)	14 (1.7%)	158 (19.7%)	30 (3.7%)	5 (0.6%)	24 (3.0%)	76 (9.5%)	41.2	197^th of 368 public middle schools	46.5%		37.2	225^th of 371 public middle schools	39.4%	28	34.5	46.3	30.7	29.5	29.9	24.3	26.1	$18,248	$1,628	$16,620
Judson Middle School	Public	6-8	4512 Jones Rd S	Salem	97302	Marion County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 399-3201	811	34	24.0	89.4%	442 (54.5%)	18 (2.2%)	208 (25.6%)	33 (4.1%)	8 (1.0%)	33 (4.1%)	68 (8.4%)	60.7	118^th of 368 public middle schools	67.9%		60	112^th of 371 public middle schools	69.8%	6	50.5	48.8	53.2	35.1	29.3	32.2	32.9	$18,610	$1,663	$16,948
Leslie Middle School	Public	6-8	3850 Pringle Rd SE	Salem	97302	Marion County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 399-3206	735	37	20.0	87.9%	360 (49.0%)	15 (2.0%)	269 (36.6%)	14 (1.9%)	4 (0.5%)	14 (1.9%)	52 (7.1%)	36.2	226^th of 368 public middle schools	38.6%		31.8	245^th of 371 public middle schools	34.0%	19	36.2	33.0	41.0	18.9	23.2	25.4	26.7	$19,405	$1,572	$17,832
Walker Middle School	Public	6-8	1075 8th St NW	Salem	97304	Polk County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 399-3220	571	27	20.8	88.6%	277 (48.5%)	13 (2.3%)	191 (33.5%)	16 (2.8%)	5 (0.9%)	11 (1.9%)	55 (9.6%)	56.5	128^th of 368 public middle schools	65.2%		46.3	178^th of 371 public middle schools	52.0%	50	48.4	42.6	56.0	25.8	29.4	38.0	31.3	$18,995	$1,722	$17,273
Straub Middle School	Public	6-8	1920 Wilmington Ave NW	Salem	97304	Polk County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 399-2030	568	26	22.1	88.6%	359 (63.2%)	16 (2.8%)	106 (18.7%)	23 (4.0%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (9.5%)	61.3	114^th of 368 public middle schools	69.0%		56.2	136^th of 371 public middle schools	63.3%	22	39.9	53.6	53.3	31.7	41.0	32.1	33.1	$19,059	$1,693	$17,366
Howard Street Charter	Public, Charter	6-8	625 Marion St NE	Salem	97301	Marion County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 399-3408	184	1	184.0	21.7%	118 (64.1%)	1 (0.5%)	41 (22.3%)	3 (1.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.8%)	87.3	38^th of 368 public middle schools	89.7%		95.5	15^th of 371 public middle schools	96.0%	23	58.1	75.0	71.7	42.6	52.5	60.4	39.6	$10,183	$1,279	$8,904
Parrish Middle School	Public	6-8	802 Capitol St NE	Salem	97301	Marion County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 399-3210	691	31	22.4	88.6%	186 (26.9%)	13 (1.9%)	418 (60.5%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	22 (3.2%)	43 (6.2%)	24.5	289^th of 368 public middle schools	21.5%		17.6	324^th of 371 public middle schools	12.7%	35	33.6	29.5	30.6	21.0	18.8	16.0	15.1	$20,146	$1,401	$18,745
Jane Goodall Environmental Middle Charter School	Public, Charter	6-8	999B Locust St NE	Salem	97301	Marion County	Salem-Keizer School District 24J	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 399-7070	95	4	21.5	96.8%	69 (72.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (22.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.2%)	76.8	59^th of 368 public middle schools	84.0%		87.5	34^th of 371 public middle schools	90.8%	25	66.7	51.6	55.2	48.5	57.6	37.9	28.6	$19,593	$2,163	$17,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Talmadge Middle School

How many students attend Talmadge Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 716 students attended Talmadge Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Talmadge Middle School?

Students at Talmadge Middle School are 47% Hispanic, 45% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is Talmadge Middle School a good school?

Talmadge Middle School ranks in the bottom 22.6% of Oregon middle schools.

What district is Talmadge Middle School in?

Central School District 13J

What high school do graduates of Talmadge Middle School attend?

Students who attend Talmadge Middle School usually go on to attend Central High School

Rate Talmadge Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Oregon Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.