Colonel Wright Elementary School

Colonel Wright Elementary School is a K–5 school at 610 W 14th St in The Dalles, Oregon, serving 291 students — the smallest of the three K–5 schools in North Wasco County School District 21, which itself ranks 119th of 141 Oregon districts. In its most recent statewide standing (2025–2026), the school placed 649th of 709 Oregon schools — the 8th percentile, with 0 stars — its lowest result in the last decade, following a long slide from the 42nd percentile in 2016–17.

On the 2025–2026 state assessments, 20.5% of students met the standard in English language arts, 17.1% in math and 22.0% in science, against state rates of 43.8%, 32.9% and 30.6%. Science is the only subject where the school tops its district average (20.6%), and its fifth-grade reading cohort (33.3%) also beats the district. Chronic absenteeism stands at 38.7% — roughly two in five students — slightly below the district's 39.5% but well above nearby Hood River schools (13.8%–27.9%). The school spends $19,228 per student and runs a 16.1:1 student–teacher ratio.

The clearest comparisons are close to home. Dry Hollow Elementary School, 1.4 miles away and serving a similarly high-poverty population, ranks at the 40th percentile with 34.7% ELA, 28.0% math and 39.5% science — on $1,658 less per student and larger classes. Chenowith Elementary School ranks at the 1st percentile despite the district's highest spending, while Mosier Community School reaches the district's top mark (47th percentile) on $7,476 per student. Among Hood River County School District schools, Westside Elementary School sits at the 93rd percentile with absenteeism under 40% of Colonel Wright's. For parents, the most actionable issue is attendance, which has barely moved in three years; low-income students — nearly the whole student body — fell from the 38th to the 7th percentile in a single year.