North Santiam Options Academy

North Santiam Options Academy is a small public alternative school in Stayton, Oregon, serving about 99 students in grades K–12 as part of the North Santiam School District 29J, a mid-tier Oregon district — and it stands out as the only small, in-person, district-run alternative program among nearby comparison schools.

Two trends matter most for families. The graduation rate climbed from 36.3% in 2020–21 to 52.5% in 2024–25, even while district and state rates stayed basically flat. That said, it still trails the state by roughly 30 points and nearby alternative charters by about 24–28 points (Oregon Charter Academy posted 80.2% and Willamette Connections Academy 76.2%). Chronic absenteeism also improved dramatically, dropping nearly 30 percentage points in a single year, from 76.5% to 46.7%, though it remains above the state's 33.5%. Attendance and graduation rising together suggests attendance is a key lever at this school.

Test scores sit below benchmarks nearly everywhere. In 2025–26, all-grades proficiency was 31.3% in English language arts, 29.4% in math, and 21.4% in science. Math is the bright spot — the school slightly edged out its own district and trailed the state by only about 3.5 points. Eleventh grade is tougher: 23.1% in ELA, 15.4% in math, and 15.4% in science, the weakest figure in the data. The 33:1 student–teacher ratio is the highest among nearby alternatives, implying a teaching staff of roughly three, and many grade-level results are suppressed by the state because the tested groups are so small. Per-student spending has fallen 55% since 2021–22, from $26,791 to $11,999, while outcomes improved. Overall, this is a school lifting its own baseline with real momentum, but with wide gaps that remain.