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Nehalem Elementary School

Q: Is Nehalem Elementary School a good school?

Nehalem Elementary School ranks 200 th of 709 Oregon elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

200^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 709 Oregon Elementary Schools

Better than 72% of Oregon elementary schools

Summary

Nehalem Elementary School is a PK–5 public school in the coastal town of Nehalem, Oregon, serving 171 students as part of the highly ranked Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56 (10th of 141 Oregon districts, 93rd percentile, five stars). The school has been a consistent four-star performer: in 2025–2026 it ranked 200th of 709 Oregon elementary schools, placing at the 72nd percentile. That is a small step back from its peak in 2023–2024 (110th of 710), but a clear improvement over earlier years, when it mostly earned three stars and ranked in the 54th–63rd percentile range.

Academically, Nehalem performs above the state in every tested subject overall: 55.7% proficiency in English language arts (state 43.8%), 42.5% in math (state 32.9%), and 43.3% in science (state 30.6%). It also outperforms nearby Garibaldi Elementary School and Pacific Ridge Elementary School in all three subjects. Fourth grade is a standout, with 66.7% proficiency in ELA and 51.9% in math — well above district and state averages. The clearest area to watch is fifth grade math, at 27.6% proficient, which falls below the state (32.4%). The Cannon Beach Academy posts higher all-grade scores, but with only 37 students and many scores suppressed, it is not a fair comparison.

A major strength is how well Nehalem serves its highest-need students. About 80.7% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025, up sharply from 38.18% in 2022–2023, yet results held steady. For low-income students, the school ranked 16th of 521 Oregon schools (97th percentile, five stars) in 2025–2026 — roughly the top 3% in the state. Chronic absenteeism also dropped from 51.0% in 2021–2022 to 32.9% in 2024–2025, now better than both the district (37.7%) and state (33.5%). Notably, Garibaldi spends about $7,100 more per student and has smaller classes, yet Nehalem gets stronger academic results — a sign that instruction and support systems matter more than dollars alone.

171

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,184

Per pupil spending ?

80.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

78.8%

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

Exemptions: 18.2% (any vaccine)

36300 8th St
Nehalem, OR 97131

(503) 355-3650

District: Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56

Students who attend Nehalem Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School
High:	Neah-Kah-Nie High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.4%

Hispanic:

19.9%

Two or more races:

4.7%

See top rated Oregon elementary schools

Compare Nehalem Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 85th percentile in 2024 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Oregon average (48% vs 37% meeting standards)

✓Above the Oregon median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 85th-percentile peak (2024) to 72nd (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg47%

Oregon avg37%

200^th of 709

Oregon public elementary schools ?

Top 28%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to top 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Oregon Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56

10^th of 141Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56 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	66.5	200 of 709	71.8%	★★★★☆
2025	70.4	167 of 706	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	110 of 710	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	80.1	111 of 706	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	72.7	159 of 706	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	51.5	323 of 705	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	261 of 709	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	76.7	134 of 701	80.9%	★★★★☆
2016	52.5	314 of 697	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.7	296 of 706	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	63.3	246 of 695	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.5	179 of 707	74.7%	★★★★☆
2012	45.8	427 of 730	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	43.9	433 of 695	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.0	440 of 674	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	58.3	291 of 665	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.8	229 of 655	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.8	228 of 652	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	67.3	196 of 636	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.7	204 of 629	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	66.0	184 of 586	68.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	169 of 655	74.2%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	114 of 653	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	81.2	93 of 658	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	146 of 652	77.6%	★★★★☆
2022	61.6	206 of 646	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.3	215 of 621	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	205 of 681	69.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	89.0	16 of 521	96.9%	★★★★★
2025	81.9	36 of 518	93.1%	★★★★★
2022	73.1	156 of 703	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	51.7	263 of 597	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.8	323 of 640	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	248 of 657	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.7	266 of 664	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.0	149 of 662	77.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.4	116 of 665	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	73.4	138 of 654	78.9%	★★★★☆
2019	54.5	252 of 623	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	309 of 680	54.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Oregon percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	224 of 670	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.3	229 of 669	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.9	153 of 670	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	140 of 656	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.9	179 of 666	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	46.0	355 of 662	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.3	348 of 683	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)97th percentile+25 vs school

Female (2026)74th percentile~ school

White (2026)67th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)62nd percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Oregon (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts56%+12 vs state

Science43%+13 vs state

Mathematics42%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nehalem Elementary School

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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 All Grades	OSAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	OSAS Mathematics 4th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 5th 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
Nehalem Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	36300 8th St	Nehalem	97131	Tillamook County	Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 355-3650	171	12	14.7	80.7%	129 (75.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.7%)	66.5	200^th of 709 public elementary schools	71.8%		70.4	167^th of 706 public elementary schools	76.3%	33	51.6	66.7	50.0	55.7	48.4	51.9	27.6	42.5	43.3	43.3	78.8%	18.2%	$26,184	$1,322	$24,862
The Cannon Beach Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	3781 S Hemlock St	Cannon Beach	97110	Clatsop County	Seaside School District 10	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(503) 436-4463	37	1	29.3	—	28 (75.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (18.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.4%)								(n/a)				66.7				53.3			70.6%	26.5%	$5,167	$893	$4,274
Garibaldi Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	604 Cypress St	Garibaldi	97118	Tillamook County	Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 322-0311	115	10	12.0	85.2%	89 (77.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (13.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	8 (7.0%)	45.7	355^th of 709 public elementary schools	49.9%		38.9	403^rd of 706 public elementary schools	42.9%	48	40.0	38.5	57.9	44.6	40.0	38.5	26.3	35.4	26.3	26.3			$33,325	$3,127	$30,199
Pacific Ridge Elementary School	Public	K-5	2000 Spruce Dr	Seaside	97138	Clatsop County	Seaside School District 10	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 738-5161	557	50	11.1	86.0%	315 (56.6%)	1 (0.2%)	168 (30.2%)	11 (2.0%)	9 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (9.0%)	42.7	382^nd of 709 public elementary schools	46.1%		51.7	290^th of 706 public elementary schools	58.9%	92	39.1	54.7	38.4	44.1	39.1	36.5	26.5	33.9	23.0	23.0	89.3%	7.7%	$24,616	$2,756	$21,860
Liberty Elementary School	Public	K-1	1700 9th St	Tillamook	97141	Tillamook County	Tillamook School District 9	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(503) 842-7501	235	21	11.4	84.7%	139 (59.1%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (33.2%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.7%)	2 (0.9%)	11 (4.7%)								(n/a)											88.5%	9.4%	$22,888	$1,688	$21,200

Frequently Asked Questions about Nehalem Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Nehalem Elementary School?

Students at Nehalem Elementary School are 75% White, 20% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Is Nehalem Elementary School a good school?

Nehalem Elementary School ranks 200^th of 709 Oregon elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Nehalem Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Nehalem Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Neah-Kah-Nie Middle School
High : Neah-Kah-Nie High School

How many students attend Nehalem Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 171 students attended Nehalem Elementary School.

What district is Nehalem Elementary School in?

Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56

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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.