Summary
Santiam Junior/Senior High School in Mill City, Oregon, serves 319 students in grades 6 through 12 as part of Santiam Canyon School District 129J. The school's current statewide picture contrasts sharply with its district: the district ranks 61st of 141 in Oregon (57th percentile, 3 stars), while the school ranks 270th of 271 in 2025–2026 (0th percentile, 0 stars). Its own history is unusually volatile. In 2021–2022 it ranked 14th of 241 (94th percentile, 5 stars), and in 2018–2019 it was 77th of 266 (71st percentile, 4 stars). Since then it has fallen steadily — 28th percentile in 2022–2023, 16th in 2023–2024, 7th in 2024–2025, and 0th percentile in 2025–2026.
Test scores are the clearest difference from nearby schools. In 11th-grade English language arts, Santiam's 18.8% proficiency trails Cascade Opportunity Center (53.8%), Scio High School (44.7%), Stayton High School (36.1%), and the state (46.0%). In 11th-grade math Santiam is under 5%, versus 22.9% statewide, and in 11th-grade science it is 6.1%, versus 33.8% statewide. Across all grades, Santiam reports 15.7% in ELA (district 41.1%, state 43.8%), 13.3% in math (district 36.2%, state 32.9%), and under 5% in science. Seventh-grade ELA at 34% is a relative bright spot, though still below district and state averages.
Graduation is the strongest positive: 93.2% in 2024–2025, above the state's 83.0% and the district's 81.7%, and up from 73.3% in 2020–2021. Chronic absenteeism, at 39.4%, is above the state's 33.5% but has improved from 67.5%. About 81.19% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, similar to Stayton's 82.66%, and the school spends $17,973 per student with a 13.5 student–teacher ratio — with the smallest classes in the comparison group. Yet subgroup rankings are low, including male students at 226th of 226 in 2025–2026. The key takeaway: graduation is strong, but math and science proficiency is among the lowest in Oregon.
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