Best Public Schools in Cornelius, OR

Cornelius, Oregon is served by three public schools — all elementary — with no middle, high, or alternative schools in the city list. Total enrollment is 1,146 students, ranging from 372 to 389 per school. Echo Shaw Elementary School and Cornelius Elementary School are in Forest Grove School District 15, while Free Orchards Elementary School is in Hillsboro School District 1J. Forest Grove SD 15 ranks 102 of 141 districts statewide (28th percentile, 1 star); Hillsboro SD 1J ranks 69 of 141 (51st percentile, 3 stars).

All three schools score well below Oregon averages. The top local all-grade results come from Echo Shaw: 20.4% in ELA, 18.1% in math, and 17.3% in science, compared with state marks of 43.8%, 32.9%, and 30.6%. Free Orchards posts the lowest results (15.0% ELA, 9.9% math, 6.0% science) even though it sits in the higher-rated district, spends the most per student ($21,784), and has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate at 70.91%. Cornelius is in the middle academically and has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 26.5%, 7.0 points below the state's 33.5%. Cornelius also spends the least, $19,930 per student.

Attendance is a relative bright spot citywide: all three schools fall under the state's 33.5% chronic absenteeism rate. Echo Shaw leads locally on academics and class size (14.3 students per teacher), while Free Orchards has the largest classes (18.8) and the steepest rank decline, from the 11th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 2nd percentile in 2025–2026. Cornelius slipped from the 7th to the 4th percentile. All three schools show 0 stars in 2025–2026, so families may want to weigh attendance, class size, and grade-level results alongside overall rankings.