Middle Schools in McMinnville School District 40

Middle schools in McMinnville School District 40 include two schools serving grades 6–8, Duniway Middle School and Patton Middle School, with 1,407 students combined and a district rating of 31st of 141 districts, in the 78th percentile with 4 stars. Duniway Middle School enrolls 761 students and Patton Middle School enrolls 646. Both schools share the same McMinnville-area district context, but their 2025–2026 results and statewide rankings differ sharply.

Duniway Middle School is the standout higher performer. It ranks 56th of 371 middle schools statewide, in the 85th percentile with 4 stars, and is above district and state averages in all-grade ELA (56.1% vs 48.4% district and 43.8% state), math (48.8% vs 39.8% and 32.9%), and science (44.0% vs 35.5% and 30.6%). Its 8th grade math is 57.8%, 27.8 points above the state, and 7th grade ELA is 64.1%. Patton Middle School ranks 215th of 371, in the 42nd percentile with 2 stars, and is below district and state averages in all all-grade subjects: ELA 36.2%, math 29.3%, and science 25.0%. Patton Middle School has bright spots in 8th grade ELA (42.0%, just above the state’s 41.5%) and 8th grade math (33.2% vs state 30.0%), but its 7th grade ELA is 33.3%, 12.0 points below the state.

Non-test data do not explain the gap. Free/reduced lunch is nearly identical (77.66% at Duniway Middle School, 77.86% at Patton Middle School), and chronic absenteeism is lower than district and state levels at both schools (25.2% at Duniway Middle School, 24.5% at Patton Middle School). Patton Middle School has a lower student-teacher ratio (16.8 vs 18.4) and slightly lower per-student spending ($18,404 vs $18,737), yet much lower proficiency. The gap is smallest in 6th grade ELA (10.9 points) and largest in 7th grade ELA (30.8 points) and 8th grade math (24.6 points). Duniway Middle School slipped from 40th to 56th statewide over three years, while Patton Middle School fell from 152nd to 215th and from 3 stars to 2 stars. The district’s 4-star rating masks this internal variation; these are single-year snapshots that show strong associations, not proof of cause.