Summary
Molalla Elementary School is a K–5 public school in Molalla, Oregon, serving 438 students in the Molalla River School District 35, a small district ranked 103rd of 141 Oregon districts.
For 2025–2026, Molalla Elementary ranks 613th of 709 Oregon schools (14th percentile, 1 star), down from the 40th percentile in 2021–2022 and a sharp drop from the 29th percentile the year before. Its proficiency scores lag most nearby schools: 25.5% in English language arts, 23.8% in math, and 13.5% in science, compared with district rates of 32.5%, 23.2%, and 19.1%, and state rates of 43.8%, 32.9%, and 30.6%. Third-grade ELA and math are especially low, and fifth-grade science is a standout weakness. Clarkes Elementary School has nearly identical free/reduced lunch participation but far higher ELA (54.5%), math (43.3%), and science (28%) proficiency, showing that similar poverty and resource conditions in the same district can produce different outcomes.
Chronic absenteeism is the highest among nearby schools at 42.7% in 2024–2025, above the district’s 35.8% and the state’s 33.5%, and it has been persistently high. Subgroup results are mixed: special education students ranked in the 71st percentile in 2024–2025, and English language learner students in the 56th percentile, while overall subgroup performance remains uneven. Resources do not appear to be the main explanation—per-student spending was $17,040, the student-teacher ratio was 16.2, and the free/reduced lunch rate (65.98%) is close to Clarkes Elementary School (66.01%), Mulino Elementary School (65.2%), and Molalla River Academy (64.73%). For parents, the most actionable red flags are third-grade reading and math, fifth-grade science, and the school’s attendance rate.
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