Summary:
Clatskanie School District 6J is a small rural district in Clatskanie, Oregon, serving 694 students across just two schools: Clatskanie Elementary School (grades K–6, 387 students) and Clatskanie Middle/High School (grades 7–12, 307 students). About 79% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the district overall is rated 2 stars, in the 33rd percentile of Oregon districts. That district-wide rating, however, describes neither school well, because the two buildings are moving in opposite directions.
The middle/high school is the standout: 4 stars and 77th percentile among Oregon high schools, up from 2 stars the year before. Its 11th graders outperform the state in all three subjects — 73.8% proficient in English language arts versus 46% statewide — plus gains in math and science. The elementary school is the counterpoint, slipping to 1 star and the 27th percentile and falling below the state in every subject. Math is the district's weakest area and gets worse with age: proficiency drops from 35.6% in 3rd grade to 8.8% in 6th and 6.5% in 7th, against roughly 30–33% statewide. Grades 7–8 also show a sharp reading dip before 11th grade rebounds.
Some things are working district-wide. Chronic absenteeism is below the state at both schools (29.9% elementary, 31.0% middle/high vs. 33.5% statewide), and the middle/high school graduates 76.9% of students in four years, slightly under the state's 83.0%. The middle/high school spends $23,680 per student with a 15.1 student-teacher ratio, while the elementary spends $18,160 with a 17.3 ratio. For parents, the highest-leverage focus areas are middle-grade math and the 7th–8th grade reading dip.
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