Summary:
Colton, Oregon is served by four schools — Colton Elementary School (K–5), Colton Middle School (6–8), Colton High School (9–12), and Colton Virtual Academy (K–12) — all part of Colton School District 53, a small district of 595 students that ranks 98th of 141 Oregon districts, about the 30th percentile, with 2 stars.
Colton High School is the clearest bright spot, jumping from the bottom 9–10% of Oregon high schools to 124th of 271 (54th percentile, 3 stars). Its 92.5% graduation rate is well above the district's 51.6% and the state's 83.0%, and its ELA proficiency of 46.3% beats the district's 37.7% and the state's 43.8%. Its 11th-grade math (25.6%) also tops the state's 22.9%. The concern is that 49.1% of its students are chronically absent, far above the district's 30.9% and the state's 33.5%. Colton Elementary School is mixed: science (30.0%) is essentially at the state's 30.6%, but ELA (34.0%) and math (19.8%) trail both district and state, with a sharp 4th-grade dip (17.2% ELA, 10.3% math). It ranks 519th of 709 (27th percentile, 1 star).
Colton Middle School shows the most severe academic warning signs — science at 6.3% versus the state's 30.6%, and 8th-grade math at 6.9% versus 30.0% — ranking 270th of 371 (27th percentile, 1 star). Colton Virtual Academy has the lowest graduation rate at 19.6%, 63.4 points below the state, and 2023–24 chronic absenteeism of 65.6%; its 2024–25 absenteeism value and test scores are not provided. Spending and staffing do not line up simply with outcomes: the elementary spends the most ($21,129), while the high school has the highest student-teacher ratio (20.1) yet the strongest graduation results.
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