Santiam Canyon School District 129J

Santiam Canyon School District 129J is a small Oregon district serving about 2,913 listed students across three schools: Oregon Charter Academy (K–12 alternative), Santiam Junior/Senior High School (grades 6–12), and Santiam Elementary School (grades K–5). There is no standalone middle school; middle grades are served inside the junior/senior high and the charter academy. Enrollment is heavily concentrated: Oregon Charter Academy accounts for roughly 80.5% of students in the three-school set, while Santiam Jr/Sr High has 319 students and Santiam Elementary has 249. The district's reported rank is 61 of 141, at the 57th percentile with 3 stars.

The three schools look very different from one another. Oregon Charter Academy posts the strongest all-grade results — ELA 50.3%, math 44.0%, and science 47.9% — beating both district and state in every subject, with 11th-grade ELA at 69% and 11th-grade science at 71.4%. It also spends far less per student ($1,608) and has a higher student-teacher ratio (20.8) than the other two schools, though its graduation rate (80.2%) is slightly below district and state. Santiam Junior/Senior High School has the district's highest graduation rate at 93.2%, well above district (81.7%) and state (83.0%), yet its all-grade proficiency is the lowest in the data: ELA 15.7%, math 13.3%, and science under 5%. It ranks 270 of 271 schools in 2025–2026. Santiam Elementary School is a mixed picture: 3rd-grade math is a bright spot at 51.6%, above district and state, but math falls to 25.0% by 5th grade and all-grade science is 17.4%.

Chronic absenteeism is above the state rate of 33.5% at all three schools: Oregon Charter Academy 37.2%, Santiam Jr/Sr High 39.4%, and Santiam Elementary 43.2%, the highest and largest gap above state. Where reported, poverty indicators are high — free/reduced lunch is 81.19% at Santiam Jr/Sr High and 81.93% at Santiam Elementary; the charter academy's value is unknown. Parents should note that district averages are strongly influenced by the charter academy's large enrollment and much stronger proficiency results.