Crane Union High School

Crane Union High School is a very small rural public high school in Crane, Oregon, serving about 96 students in grades 9–12 (roughly 24 per grade) as the only school within 20 miles, and it belongs to Harney County Union High School District 1J.

On the most recent data, this is one of the strongest high schools in Oregon. It ranked 2nd out of 271 Oregon high schools in 2025–2026 (99th percentile, 5 stars). Test proficiency runs about double the state rate in every subject: English language arts at 90.5% versus 43.8% statewide, math at 65% versus 32.9%, and science at least 95% versus 30.6%. The school has beaten the state graduation rate in each of the five reported years, with three separate cohorts graduating at 100%; the latest rate was 92.6% against a state rate of 83.0%. Chronic absenteeism was 31.5%, below the state's 33.5%, and has been falling. Classes are small, with a student–teacher ratio of about 12 to 1.

The main thing to understand is that results at a school this size swing a lot. Crane went from 78th to 2nd statewide in a single year, and over the past decade has landed in the top 5% of Oregon high schools three times but in the bottom half four times. With about 24 students per grade, one student changing proficiency status moves a subject score by roughly 4 points. Two other things are worth watching: per-student spending is unusually high, in the $47,000–$71,000 range, which is the structural flip side of running a high school this small; and the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch has risen sharply, from 36.47% to 66.67% in two years, with no subgroup outcome data yet for that newer mix. Note also that district-level figures are a poor yardstick here — Crane outperforms its own district in every subject and grade band.