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Sue Buel Elementary

Q: Is Sue Buel Elementary a good school?

Sue Buel Elementary ranks 501 st of 709 Oregon elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

501^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 709 Oregon Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Oregon elementary schools

Summary

Sue Buel Elementary is a K–5 school in McMinnville, Oregon — a Willamette Valley community in Yamhill County — serving 398 students as part of McMinnville School District 40, a district that ranks 31st of 141 in Oregon (78th percentile, 4 stars). The school itself sits far lower: in 2025–2026 it ranked 501st of 709 Oregon elementary schools (29th percentile, 1 star), down from 280th of 697 (60th percentile, 3 stars) in 2015–2016. It has hovered in the 20s–40s percentile range for years, holding at 29th percentile in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026.

On 2025–2026 state tests, all-grade proficiency was 35.2% in English language arts, 26.8% in math, and 22.5% in science — roughly 13 points below the district in every subject and below the state as well (43.8%, 32.9%, 30.6%). Among same-district elementary peers, including Wascher Elementary School, Grandhaven Elementary School, Memorial Elementary School, Willamette Elementary School, and Newby Elementary School, Sue Buel scores below all of them in reading and math. Results are uneven by grade: third grade is close to district and state averages, while fourth-grade reading and math and fifth-grade math (18.3%) and science (22.5%) fall well short. Fifth-grade reading (46.5%) is near the state average.

The school serves a high-poverty population — 83.67% free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, up from 57.72% the year before — yet nearby schools with similar rates, such as Wascher and Grandhaven, achieve much higher proficiency. Its effectiveness ranking for low-income students is comparatively strong (69th percentile, 3 stars), while special education results are volatile and currently very low (8th percentile). Chronic absenteeism, 27.9%, beats district and state averages but trails Memorial (16.6%), Wascher (19.9%), and St Paul (10.7%). With $19,847 spent per student and a 15.7 student–teacher ratio, funding and class size look adequate, pointing to instruction and student support as the likeliest levers for improvement.

398

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,847

Per pupil spending ?

83.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

94.2%

Students (K-12) with all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 4.3% (any vaccine)

1985 SE Davis St
McMinnville, OR 97128

(503) 565-5500

District: McMinnville School District 40

Students who attend Sue Buel Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Patton Middle School
High:	McMinnville High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.2%

Hispanic:

45.0%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated Oregon elementary schools

Compare Sue Buel Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 21st percentile in 2023 → 29th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 29th (2026) from a 21st-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Oregon average (30% vs 37% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of McMinnville School District 40's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg43%

Oregon avg37%

501^st of 709

Oregon public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 30 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Oregon Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the McMinnville School District 40

31^st of 141McMinnville School District 40 among Oregon districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	30.0	501 of 709	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.3	501 of 706	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	476 of 710	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.2	556 of 706	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.8	482 of 706	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.2	476 of 705	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	373 of 709	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.0	400 of 701	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	56.6	280 of 697	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	47.6	357 of 706	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	75.4	143 of 695	79.4%	★★★★☆
2013	70.5	170 of 707	76.0%	★★★★☆
2012	78.6	116 of 730	84.1%	★★★★☆
2011	62.3	259 of 695	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	47.2	397 of 674	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	53 of 101	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.4	20 of 97	79.4%	★★★★☆
2019	28.3	86 of 97	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	92 of 179	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	32.0	444 of 655	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.2	450 of 653	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	462 of 658	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.5	532 of 652	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	477 of 646	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.0	490 of 621	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.4	399 of 681	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	54.5	137 of 377	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.9	206 of 362	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	186 of 365	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	228 of 360	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	147 of 339	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.0	203 of 364	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.5	154 of 475	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	160 of 521	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.4	196 of 518	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	183 of 523	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.2	400 of 595	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.0	478 of 703	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.3	196 of 597	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.4	143 of 640	77.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	465 of 657	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.5	472 of 664	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.1	425 of 662	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	500 of 665	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	418 of 654	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.2	426 of 623	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.0	334 of 680	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	326 of 355	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	47.2	132 of 352	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	17.9	288 of 299	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	165 of 231	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.0	191 of 303	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	347 of 481	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	27.9	506 of 670	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.8	464 of 669	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	414 of 670	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	471 of 656	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.2	416 of 666	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.8	400 of 662	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.6	307 of 683	55.1%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile+40 vs school

Hispanic (2026)64th percentile+34 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)48th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)29th percentile~ school

White (2026)24th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)8th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Oregon (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-9 vs state

Mathematics27%-6 vs state

Science22%-8 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

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3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, March 9, 2020

My son loves this school. He does not want to miss a day for fear of missing out on a great education. We love the caring students and staff. There is lots of help for those that need it or programs for those who excel and need more to their regular education. Excellent student to teacher ratio with lots of outreach to parents for partisipation in all activities. Overall very happy with Sue Buel Elementary! Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, April 16, 2015

My family moved to McMinnville at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, so my daughter has been attending her entire 2nd grade year. We are thrilled with the staff and the learning environment. The school is currently exceeding state standards, which was very important to us. We love our daughter's teacher, and Principal Legard is wonderful.

The staff takes a very hands-on approach to teaching and learning. They realize that children perform better when they get breaks and they provide healthy snacks as well. We love that the children are required to wear uniforms because it helps to set the tone for the learning environment. Buel is somewhat of an old-fashioned learning environment in a modern setting. While the school is newer, the teaching style resembles that of when I was in elementary school.

The learning environment is very organized, which really helps the parents. Every week, my daughter brings home her school folder which contains updates about what she is doing in her class as well as upcoming news, her homework assignments, school work she has completed, etc. Parents are required to sign the folder and the weekly newsletter in an effort to help parents get involved in their child's education, which also assists parents to stay informed. I look forward to reading her folder each week because it gives me the opportunity to see what my daughter is learning, how she is functioning, and she is able to share school work with me. She loves showing me the stories she writes, the books she reads, her math work, etc. My family highly recommends Sue Buel Elementary. Close Quote

Schools Near Sue Buel Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				OSAS English Language Arts (2026)					OSAS Mathematics (2026)					OSAS Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	OSAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts All Grades	OSAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	OSAS Mathematics 4th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 5th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 6th Grade	OSAS Mathematics All Grades	OSAS Science 5th Grade	OSAS Science All Grades	Vaccination: Students (K-12) with all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sue Buel Elementary	Public	K-5	1985 SE Davis St	McMinnville	97128	Yamhill County	McMinnville School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 565-5500	398	25	15.7	83.7%	192 (48.2%)	1 (0.3%)	179 (45.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	23 (5.8%)	30	501^st of 709 public elementary schools	29.3%		29.3	501^st of 706 public elementary schools	29.0%		35.6	22.7	46.5		35.2	38.6	25.8	18.3		26.8	22.5	22.5	94.2%	4.3%	$19,847	$1,225	$18,622
Willamette Elementary School	Public	K-5	1600 SW Fellows St	McMinnville	97128	Yamhill County	McMinnville School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 565-4600	443	30	14.7	79.9%	229 (51.7%)	0 (0.0%)	199 (44.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.5%)	53.5	297^th of 709 public elementary schools	58.1%		45	355^th of 706 public elementary schools	49.7%	58	46.8	31.5	55.6		45.3	46.8	25.9	47.6		40.8	31.7	31.7	92.4%	5.1%	$20,057	$647	$19,410
Newby Elementary School	Public	K-5	1125 NW 2nd St	McMinnville	97128	Yamhill County	McMinnville School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 565-4900	443	28	16.0	81.9%	231 (52.1%)	3 (0.7%)	177 (40.0%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.9%)	39.6	407^th of 709 public elementary schools	42.6%		34.2	454^th of 706 public elementary schools	35.7%	47	44.1	41.0	41.5		42.1	41.2	34.6	23.2		32.5	22.2	22.2	92.8%	5.1%	$18,805	$989	$17,816
Memorial Elementary School	Public	K-5	501 NW 14th St	McMinnville	97128	Yamhill County	McMinnville School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 565-4800	557	29	18.8	77.2%	386 (69.3%)	7 (1.3%)	116 (20.8%)	5 (0.9%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	34 (6.1%)	82.4	103^rd of 709 public elementary schools	85.5%		79.2	125^th of 706 public elementary schools	82.3%	22	57.7	58.6	71.6		62.6	56.4	63.3	58.0		59.5	37.8	37.8	90.7%	7.8%	$18,841	$607	$18,234
Grandhaven Elementary School	Public	K-5	3200 NE McDonald Ln	McMinnville	97128	Yamhill County	McMinnville School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 565-4700	446	29	15.4	84.3%	255 (57.2%)	5 (1.1%)	156 (35.0%)	9 (2.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.7%)	15 (3.4%)	57.7	262^nd of 709 public elementary schools	63.0%		58.5	248^th of 706 public elementary schools	64.9%	14	41.5	49.3	52.9		48.4	44.6	47.9	36.1		42.5	31.7	31.7	92.1%	6.3%	$17,962	$1,135	$16,828
Amity Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 Rice Ln	Amity	97101	Yamhill County	Amity School District 4J	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 835-3751	320	18	18.1	64.7%	242 (75.6%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (18.8%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.1%)	50.2	319^th of 709 public elementary schools	55.0%		37.7	423^rd of 706 public elementary schools	40.1%	104	40.0	40.0	41.3		40.4	44.0	49.1	30.4		41.7	34.8	34.8	86.2%	9.7%	$17,622	$815	$16,808
Wascher Elementary School	Public	K-5	986 7th St	Lafayette	97127	Yamhill County	McMinnville School District 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 565-5400	371	23	16.2	82.2%	220 (59.3%)	1 (0.3%)	125 (33.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	20 (5.4%)	64.9	211^th of 709 public elementary schools	70.2%		52.1	288^th of 706 public elementary schools	59.2%	77	41.7	50.8	66.7		53.2	35.0	47.6	47.6		43.5	41.3	41.3	96.5%	2%	$18,472	$806	$17,666
Dayton Grade School	Public	K-5	526 Ferry St	Dayton	97114	Yamhill County	Dayton School District 8	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 864-2217	320	21	15.3	—	187 (58.4%)	0 (0.0%)	119 (37.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	26.3	531^st of 709 public elementary schools	25.1%		32.3	471^st of 706 public elementary schools	33.3%	60	27.3	32.1	40.0		32.5	28.8	22.6	18.0		23.7	30.0	30.0	92.7%	6%	$23,129	$1,429	$21,700
Yamhill Carlton Elementary School	Public	K-4	420 S Third St	Carlton	97111	Yamhill County	Yamhill Carlton School District 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 852-7161	276	16	17.5	50.4%	228 (82.6%)	1 (0.4%)	28 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (5.8%)								(n/a)	26.9				26.9	22.8				22.8			85.1%	10.9%	$13,492	$878	$12,613
St Paul Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	20449 Main St NE	Saint Paul	97137	Marion County	St Paul School District 45	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 633-2691	150	9	17.6	—	102 (68.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (29.3%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.0%)	67.4	192^nd of 709 public elementary schools	72.9%		74.7	142^nd of 706 public elementary schools	79.9%	50	30.0	33.3	75.0	61.5	52.9	50.0	33.3	64.7	46.2	47.9	35.3	35.3	91.5%	8.5%	$23,677	$880	$22,798

Frequently Asked Questions about Sue Buel Elementary

How many students attend Sue Buel Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 398 students attended Sue Buel Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sue Buel Elementary?

Students at Sue Buel Elementary are 48% White, 45% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is Sue Buel Elementary a good school?

Sue Buel Elementary ranks 501^st of 709 Oregon elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Sue Buel Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sue Buel Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Patton Middle School
High : McMinnville High School

What district is Sue Buel Elementary in?

McMinnville School District 40

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Latest Oregon data All new data »

2015–16 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2014–15 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 OSAS test scoresSep 25, 2026

2023–24 through 2024–25 school spending dataAug 24, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Oregon Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.