Best Middle Schools in Keizer, OR

The city of Keizer, Oregon is home to two middle schools: Claggett Creek Middle School and Whiteaker Middle School, both serving grades 6-8 and part of the Salem-Keizer School District 24J. Based on the available data, Whiteaker Middle School appears to be the stronger performing school, with a higher statewide ranking, school digger rating, and better academic test scores compared to Claggett Creek Middle School.

Whiteaker Middle School ranks 175 out of 368 Oregon middle schools for the 2024-2025 school year, while Claggett Creek Middle School ranks 264. Whiteaker also has a 3-star school digger rating, compared to Claggett Creek's 1-star rating. In academic performance, Whiteaker consistently outperforms Claggett Creek and the district/state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates. For example, in 8th grade English Language Arts, Whiteaker had a 41.3% proficiency rate, compared to 34.1% at Claggett Creek and 41.6% statewide.

Both schools face challenges, such as high chronic absenteeism rates of over 34% and a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economically disadvantaged student populations. While the per-student spending is slightly higher at Whiteaker, the difference is relatively small, suggesting that factors beyond just funding, such as school leadership, teacher quality, and curriculum, may be more influential in driving the performance gap between the two schools.