McKenzie River Community School

McKenzie River Community School is a small, rural public school serving grades K–12 in Vida, Oregon (Lane County), with about 195 students, and it is the only school in McKenzie School District 68. Because it is a one-school district, figures reported for the district are the same as the school's — so the most useful comparison for families is against Oregon statewide averages. Nearly all students here are economically disadvantaged: 94.4% qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25, and the student-to-teacher ratio is a low 11.3. There are no other schools within 20 miles, so there is no nearby school to compare it with directly.

In the classroom, this school performs well above the Oregon average. On 2025-26 state tests across all grades, students scored 52% proficient in English language arts (state: 43.8%), 39.5% in math (32.9%), and 42.9% in science (30.6%) — a gap of more than 12 points in science. Fifth-grade math stands out at 54.5% versus 32.4% statewide, and third-grade ELA at 58.3% versus 41.5%. Only three grade-and-subject results fell slightly below the state mark. Attendance is also roughly in line with Oregon: over five years, an average of 32% of students were chronically absent, slightly better than the state's 34%.

Graduation is the clear weak spot, and it is the main thing to ask about. The 2024-25 graduation rate was 43.8%, compared with 83.0% statewide, and the five-year average is about 62% against a steady state figure near 82%. Some caution is warranted: senior classes here are tiny, roughly 10–16 students, so one student can shift the rate by 6–10 percentage points, and the state suppresses test results for small groups — 11th-grade scores and some middle-grade scores are unknown, not poor. Spending is high at $36,067 per student in 2024-25, so resources are not the obvious constraint.