Summary
Morningside Elementary School is a K–5 school with 311 students in Salem, Oregon, part of Salem-Keizer School District 24J. While the district ranks 105th of 141 in Oregon, Morningside Elementary School ranks 142nd of 709 elementary schools statewide for 2025–2026 — the 80th percentile and a 4-star rating — making it a high-performing standout within a lower-performing district. It has been a 4-star school for most of the past decade, and this year's rank is close to its historical best.
Academically, Morningside outperforms its district and the state in every tested subject. In 2025–2026, 60.1% of students met standards in English Language Arts (district: 34.5%, state: 43.8%), 47.8% in math (district: 24.1%, state: 32.9%), and 42.4% in science (district: 20.9%, state: 30.6%). Among 10 nearby elementary schools, Morningside is the second-highest performer in all three subjects, trailing only Candalaria Elementary School in reading (66.4%) and math (50.0%), and essentially tied with it in science (42.6% vs. 42.4%). Sumpter Elementary School is next at 53.8% reading, 44.8% math, and 29.9% science. Math performance strengthens by grade, with 5th graders 15.1 points above the state. Notably, about 88% of Morningside students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, so these results come from a high-poverty school.
Two other points stand out. First, the school's results for Hispanic students rank 9th of 377 schools statewide (98th percentile, 5-star), and its low-income students rank in the 86th percentile — the strongest signals of instructional effectiveness in the data. Special education students rank in the 72nd percentile. Second, chronic absenteeism is 35.9%, better than the district's 43.1% but slightly above the state's 33.5% and well above Candalaria's 22.7%. Attendance is the clearest opportunity for improvement. Morningside also spends $22,704 per student with a student–teacher ratio of 17.5, the second-lowest among nearby schools.
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