Gaston School District 511J

Gaston School District 511J is a small two-school district in Gaston, Oregon (ZIP 97119) with a combined enrollment of 474 students across grades K–12, made up of Gaston Elementary School (K–6, 228 students) and Gaston Junior/Senior High School (7–12, 246 students), both sharing a single campus at 300 Park St.

For parents comparing the two schools, Gaston Elementary School is the district's stronger performer. It ranks in the 56th percentile of Oregon elementary schools with 3 stars, while Gaston Junior/Senior High School sits in the 33rd percentile with 2 stars. The elementary school beats the state in science (39.3% proficient vs. 30.6%) and performs about average in math, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 28.6% is better than the state's 33.5% — the only school in the district to clear that benchmark. The secondary school's absenteeism is 47.6%, well above the state, meaning nearly half of its students miss school chronically. Both schools serve nearly identical poverty rates (about 62% free or reduced-price lunch), so the differences are not explained by demographics.

Inside Gaston Junior/Senior High School, the 7th and 8th grade results are the bright spots — 7th grade ELA is 65.6% proficient versus 45.3% statewide — but grades 11 lag badly, with 32.0% in ELA and just 12.5% in math. Notably, the school's 95.3% graduation rate far exceeds the state's 83.0%, showing it gets students to the finish line even when proficiency is low. District-wide, math is the weak point, science is the strength, and each grade has only about 30–40 students, so small changes can swing percentages noticeably.