Summary:
The 97042 zip code area is home to two elementary schools, Clarkes Elementary School and Mulino Elementary School, both part of the Molalla River School District 35. Based on the available data, Clarkes Elementary stands out as the higher-performing school in the area, consistently outpacing the district and state averages on standardized test scores and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Clarkes Elementary has a statewide school ranking in the top 30% of Oregon elementary schools, while Mulino Elementary is in the middle 50%. In the 2024-2025 school year, 64.7% of 3rd graders at Clarkes were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 31.7% for the district and 40.3% statewide. Both schools have similar student-teacher ratios, with Mulino at 14.7 and Clarkes at 14.0, and comparable spending per student, with Mulino at $16,121 and Clarkes at $15,875.
However, the data also reveals some concerning trends, such as high chronic absenteeism rates exceeding 34% at both schools. Additionally, Clarkes Elementary has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at 46.3%, compared to 39.6% at Mulino, indicating a larger population of economically disadvantaged students. These factors may contribute to the performance gap between the two schools and suggest the need for targeted interventions to address the root causes of these challenges and ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students in the 97042 zip code area.
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