Condon Elementary School

Condon Elementary School is a small public school serving grades K–8 with 85 students in Condon, Oregon, a rural community of well under 1,000 people — and the only school within 20 miles. With roughly 9–10 students per grade, it is also the sole provider for its district, Condon School District 25J, at least at grade 8. At this size, a single student can move a reported percentage by 10 points or more, which is worth keeping in mind for everything below.

On 2025–26 state tests, the school trails both its district and the state in all three subjects: English language arts at 35.8% proficient (versus 41% district and 43.8% state), math at 28.3% (versus 29.5% and 32.9%), and science at 17.4% (versus 25.8% and 30.6%). Science is the biggest gap — fewer than one in five students proficient. One important note: Oregon suppresses test results for small groups, so only grade 8 is reported publicly this year; grades 3–7 are hidden to protect student privacy, which is not a statement about performance. The one visible cohort, grade 8, actually scores above the state in ELA (53.3% versus 41.5%). Because an average must fall between its parts, the hidden grades 3–7 are, in aggregate, weaker than the grade 8 results — that is where the school's real challenge sits.

The clearest strength is attendance. Chronic absenteeism was 17.1% in 2024–25 — roughly half the state rate of 33.5% and lower than the district — after falling 8.7 points in two years. Spending is very high at $29,747 per student, mostly the arithmetic of running a full K–8 program for 85 children, and the student–teacher ratio has tightened from 14.1 to 11.5. Statewide, the school ranked 479 of 710 Oregon schools (33rd percentile, 2 stars) in 2023–24, up from 23rd percentile the year before but still below its mid-2010s levels.