Best Public Schools in Cave Junction, OR

Cave Junction, Oregon has four public schools in the Three Rivers/Josephine County School District, serving K–12 students across one elementary, one middle, and two high schools. Total enrollment is 1,065: Evergreen Elementary School (K–4, 378), Lorna Byrne Middle School (5–8, 349), Illinois Valley High School (9–12, 291), and Kalmiopsis Community Arts High School (9–12, 47). The district is ranked 67th of 141 in Oregon, at the 52nd percentile with 3 stars. Among schools reporting free/reduced lunch, rates are extremely high—90.54% to 101.06%—while Kalmiopsis does not report one. Chronic absenteeism is above the state average at three of four schools, and math proficiency is below the state average at every school.

Lorna Byrne Middle School is the clearest standout: its rank percentile improved from 46 to 60 over three years, and its ELA (44.9%) and science (34.0%) results exceed district and state averages. Its math (26.6%) is below district and state. Illinois Valley High School has the strongest high school outcomes, with a 92.1% graduation rate versus the district’s 71.9% and state’s 83.0%, plus above-state ELA (46.7%) and 11th grade math (27.1%). Evergreen Elementary School, the largest school, faces the highest chronic absenteeism (47.6%), low ELA (25.2%), and third-grade math (18.5%). Kalmiopsis Community Arts High School has the best attendance (30.0% chronic absenteeism) and smallest classes (11.1 ratio) but the lowest graduation rate (36.4%) and math proficiency (14.3%), with the least per-student spending ($8,580).

For parents, math is the clearest citywide weakness: every Cave Junction school is below Oregon’s 32.9% math average. ELA is more mixed, with Lorna Byrne and Illinois Valley above the state’s 43.8%, Kalmiopsis close at 42.9%, and Evergreen far below at 25.2%. Spending varies widely and does not map neatly onto outcomes: Illinois Valley spends the most ($27,620) and has the strongest graduation rate, while Kalmiopsis spends the least ($8,580) and has the lowest. Rank trajectories also differ: Lorna Byrne is improving, Kalmiopsis rebounded from a very low base, Illinois Valley is volatile, and Evergreen is declining. Overall, the district has middling statewide standing but wide internal variation.