Best Public Schools in Zip Code 97039

ZIP code 97039 covers Moro, Oregon, the seat of Sherman County, and contains exactly one school — Sherman County School, a K–12 building serving 288 students that is also the only school in the Sherman County School District, which means district and school figures are the same. Although the data source labels it "Alternative," its K–12 grade span and enrollment show it is the community's comprehensive school, so there is no other local school to compare it with — the real benchmark is Oregon as a whole.

Against that statewide benchmark, the school performs well on achievement. On SY 2025–2026 state tests, English language arts came in at 54.0% proficient versus 43.8% statewide, math at 40.9% versus 32.9%, and science at 34.5% versus 30.6%. Its graduation rate of 90.9% beats Oregon's 83.0%. The strongest single result is 3rd-grade math at 94.4% proficient, compared with 41.3% statewide, and ELA is at or above the state average in every tested grade from 3rd through 11th. The standout weakness is secondary math: proficiency falls from 94.4% in 3rd grade to 20.0% in 11th, and grades 6–8 average below the state. Chronic absenteeism is 38.4%, about 5 points worse than Oregon's 33.5%.

For parents, the practical picture is a small school with above-average results and two clear questions to ask. First, how does the school keep elementary math gains going through middle and high school? Second, what is being done about attendance, since roughly 2 in 5 students miss enough school to be chronically absent. Two caveats are worth keeping in mind: the school spends $23,253 per student with a 15.4 student-teacher ratio — typical of a one-school rural district — and with only about 22 students per grade, a single student's result can shift a grade-level percentage by 4–6 points. Trust the broad patterns, not the exact figures.