Colton School District 53

Colton School District 53 is a small Oregon district serving roughly 595 students across four schools that together span kindergarten through 12th grade: Colton Elementary School (K–5, 171 students), Colton Middle School (6–8, 110), Colton High School (9–12, 161), and Colton Virtual Academy (alternative, K–12, 153). The district ranks 98th of 141 in Oregon — the 30th percentile, with 2 stars — but results vary sharply from school to school.

Colton High School is the clear bright spot, rising from the 9th percentile and 0 stars to the 54th percentile and 3 stars, with a 92.5% graduation rate that beats both the district (51.6%) and the state (83.0%). Its 11th-grade ELA (46.3%) and math (25.6%) are at or above state, though science (28.9%) trails. Chronic absenteeism, however, is 49.1% — well above the state's 33.5%. Colton Middle School has the district's deepest academic problem: all-grades science is 6.3% and 8th-grade math is 6.9%, far below state, and its rank has slipped to the 27th percentile with 1 star. Colton Elementary School is mixed — 3rd-grade ELA (45.9%) and science (30.0%) beat district averages, but 4th-grade ELA (17.2%) and math (10.3%) fall far below state. Colton Virtual Academy reports a 19.6% graduation rate and 65.6% chronic absenteeism in 2023–24.

Poverty indicators are high at all three schools reporting free/reduced lunch (63.74% to 66.36%). Spending and staffing do not track neatly with outcomes: the elementary school has the highest per-student spending ($21,129) but weak math, while the high school has the highest student-teacher ratio (20.1) yet the strongest results. Note that Colton Virtual Academy has no listed test scores, no free/reduced lunch figure, and no 2024–25 school-level absenteeism value — treat these as unreported, not zero. Families comparing options should weigh the high school's momentum against middle school math and science concerns and uneven elementary grade-level results.