Best Public Schools in Stayton, OR

Stayton, Oregon has four schools serving roughly 1,586 students across kindergarten through 12th grade, all within the North Santiam School District 29J. The district ranks 77th of 141 in Oregon, at the 45th percentile with 2 stars. Stayton High School (669 students, grades 9–12) is the largest, followed by Stayton Middle School (486, grades 4–8), Stayton Elementary School (332, K–3), and North Santiam Options Academy (99, K–12). Note that the middle school includes upper-elementary grades, so it is not directly comparable to the K–3 elementary.

Each school has a distinct standout. Stayton High posts a 97.2% graduation rate, far above the district (83.7%) and state (83.0%), and its science proficiency (33.8%) is the only science result in the city above both averages — though its ELA (36.1%) and math (20%) trail the state, and it has slipped from 3 stars to 2. Stayton Middle is the most consistent concern: 1 star, 23rd percentile, below district and state in every reported grade and subject, with math as low as 13% in 5th grade. Stayton Elementary has the city's best resources — $19,835 per student and a 13.9:1 ratio — but mixed academics. The alternative academy faces the steepest challenges: a 52.5% graduation rate, 46.7% chronic absenteeism, $11,999 per student, and a 33:1 ratio.

Across the city, ELA is the shared weakness: all four schools fall below both district and state. Math results are below the state everywhere, while science splits by level. Chronic absenteeism exceeds the state average at three of four schools, and poverty indicators are high where reported, including 82.66% free/reduced lunch at the high school and 81.02% at the elementary. Several academy scores and its free/reduced lunch figure are suppressed, so those should be read as unknown rather than as failures.