Siuslaw Elementary School

Siuslaw Elementary School is a K–5 public school in Florence, Oregon, serving 519 students as part of Siuslaw School District 97J. In 2025–2026 it ranked 409th of 709 Oregon elementary schools (42nd percentile, 2 stars), placing it slightly below the statewide median and noticeably below its own district's standing — the district ranks 47th of 141 (67th percentile, 3 stars). Recent history shows a school hovering around the middle-to-lower-middle: 2 stars in most years, with a recent high of the 53rd percentile in 2022–2023, a dip to the 33rd percentile in 2024–2025, and a partial recovery since.

Attendance is a genuine strength. Chronic absenteeism was 30.6% in 2024–2025, better than the district's 36.9% and the state's 33.5%. Math is comparatively solid: all-grade proficiency of 32.4% is above the district's 29.7% and essentially level with the state's 32.9%, and grade 5 math at 29.3% edges out nearby Mapleton Elementary School. Science also favors Siuslaw against that neighbor — 29.8% proficiency at both the all-grade and grade 5 levels versus Mapleton's 14.3% — even though it sits just under the state average.

The main challenges are English language arts and special education. ELA proficiency is 39.5% across all grades, below the district and the state's 43.8%, and every tested grade level is under the state average; Mapleton outperforms Siuslaw in ELA at 55.6% all grades. Most concerning, the special education subgroup ranked 353rd of 355 (1st percentile, 0 stars) in 2025–2026 and sat in the bottom 10%–12% in the two prior years. With 84.2% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, up sharply from about 67.6%, improving outcomes for low-income students is central to lifting the school overall.