Summary
Waverly Elementary School is a K–5 school serving 204 students at 425 Columbus St SE in Albany, Oregon, part of the Greater Albany Public School District 8J, and it is the smallest K–5 school in its immediate neighborhood. It ranks 629th of 709 Oregon elementary schools in 2025–26 (11th percentile, 1 star), while the district ranks 50th of 141 (65th percentile, 3 stars). After a mid-pack run in the mid-2010s (29th–42nd percentile), Waverly has now logged five straight years below the 12th percentile.
Test scores sit at or near the bottom of the neighborhood. In 2025–26, 23.4% of Waverly students met standards in English language arts, 22.3% in math, and 10.8% in science, versus 47.8%, 32.1%, and 31.7% for the district. North Albany Elementary School, with larger classes (18.4:1), lower spending ($19,601 per student), and a similar poverty rate, posts 67.9% ELA / 58.0% math / 42.6% science. Even South Shore Elementary School and Periwinkle Elementary School, serving similar populations with less money, roughly double Waverly's science proficiency. Fifth grade is the sharpest weak spot: 5th grade math falls to 8.3% proficient (district: 33.4%) and 5th grade science to 10.8%, while 4th grade is comparatively stronger.
Waverly is the most economically disadvantaged school locally (82.84% free/reduced lunch) and also the highest-spending ($25,280 per student), with one of the smallest class sizes (12.7:1) — yet it has the weakest outcomes, so money and class size don't appear to be the binding constraint. Chronic absenteeism is the clearest actionable issue: 41.8% in 2024–25, above the district's 34.8% and the state's 33.5%, and above both in every reported year. One encouraging signal: Waverly's low-income students rank in the 29th percentile statewide, better than the school's overall 11th. Nearby low-performing schools cluster geographically, suggesting a neighborhood-level pattern rather than one building's problem.
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