Elementary Schools in Philomath School District 17J

Elementary schools in Philomath School District 17J — a small district in Oregon's Willamette Valley near Corvallis — include three schools serving different grade spans: Philomath Elementary School (grades 2–5, 368 students), Clemens Primary School (grades K–1, 165 students), and Blodgett Elementary School (grades K–4, 32 students), totaling 565 students.

Philomath Elementary School is the clearest academic standout. In 2025–2026, 52% of its students were proficient in English language arts versus 46.6% in the district and 43.8% statewide, and 42.9% were proficient in math versus 34.6% district and 32.9% state. Its All Grades science score of 36.1% sits just under the district's 36.5%, but its 5th-grade science score of 36.1% beats both the district (33.1%) and the state (30.8%). It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism, 24.3%, versus 32.6% district and 33.5% state — while carrying the highest free/reduced lunch rate (59.78%) and the lowest per-student spending ($16,355) of the three. One caveat: its own rating slipped from 76th percentile and 4 stars in 2023–2024 to 68th percentile and 3 stars in 2025–2026. Notably, the district is rated 75 of 141 (47th percentile, 2 stars), so that district rating understates this school.

Blodgett Elementary School is by far the smallest, with 32 students, the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.8), the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (46.88%), and $19,660 per-student spending. Its 2025–2026 test scores are suppressed by the state, so its current academic performance is unknown; its older rankings swung from 95th percentile with 5 stars in 2010–2011 to 32nd percentile with 2 stars in 2012–2013, typical volatility for a tiny school. Clemens Primary School serves only grades K–1, so it has no test scores to compare; it has the highest per-student spending ($23,897) and the highest student-teacher ratio (16.6). All three schools have chronic absenteeism below the district's 32.6% and the state's 33.5%.