Summary:
ZIP code 97017 covers Colton, Oregon, a small rural community where four schools — grades K–12 — are all part of Colton School District 53: Colton Elementary School (K–5, 171 students), Colton Middle School (6–8, 110), Colton High School (9–12, 161), and Colton Virtual Academy (K–12 alternative, 153). Together they enroll about 595 students, and roughly 64–66% of students at the three traditional schools qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Performance varies sharply between schools. Colton High School is the standout: it ranks 124th of 271 high schools (54th percentile, 3 stars), up from the 9th–10th percentile in the prior two years, with a 92.5% graduation rate versus 83.0% statewide. Its ELA and math results beat the district, though its 49.1% chronic absenteeism is the highest of the traditional schools. Colton Middle School has the most severe academic weakness — science proficiency of 6.3% versus 30.6% state — though 6th-grade math (32%) is a bright spot. Colton Elementary School is uneven: 3rd-grade ELA (45.9%) beats the state, while 4th-grade ELA (17.2%) and 4th-grade math (10.3%) lag far behind.
Colton Virtual Academy has a 19.6% graduation rate and 65.6% chronic absenteeism in 2023–24; its test scores, current absenteeism, and lunch data are not reported, so those should be treated as unknown rather than as failures. Its 153 students likely weigh on the district's 51.6% graduation rate. Families should note the district itself ranks 98th of 141 (30th percentile, 2 stars), but that rating hides wide differences among these four schools.
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