Sunridge Middle School

Sunridge Middle School is a 6th–8th grade middle school serving 672 students in Pendleton, Oregon, part of Pendleton School District 16, and it is the only school within 20 miles, so the most useful comparisons available are to its own district and to Oregon statewide averages.

Academically, Sunridge scores below Oregon averages in every tested subject. In English language arts, 35.7% of students met standards versus 43.8% statewide; in math, 23.1% versus 32.9%; and in science, 26.6% versus 30.6%. Math is the clearest weak spot, especially in 7th grade, where 19.6% met standards compared with 33.3% statewide — a 13.7-point gap, the largest in the data. English language arts starts out close to state average in 6th grade (39.9% vs 41.8%) but falls further behind in 7th and 8th grades. At each tested grade level, Sunridge's numbers are identical to the district's, which suggests the school is essentially the district's middle-grade story rather than an outlier. Statewide, the school ranked 243rd of 371 schools in 2025–2026 (35th percentile, 2 stars), down from the 51st percentile and 3 stars in 2022–2023 — a meaningful slide.

There are bright spots and warning signs. The school's effectiveness ranking for Hispanic students is at the 66th percentile, above the state median and stronger than its overall profile, while low-income students sit at the 40th percentile. Multi-racial students rank at the 5th percentile and special education students at the 12th percentile — both clear areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism improved notably, from 41.7% to 34.6%, now close to district and state rates, though about one in three students is still chronically absent. The school serves a high-need population — 83.48% qualify for free or reduced lunch — with per-student spending of $16,029 and a student-teacher ratio of 19.9.