Summary:
ZIP code 97056 in Scappoose, Oregon contains two middle-grade schools — Otto Petersen Elementary School (grades 4–6, 416 students) and Scappoose Middle School (grades 7–8, 307 students) — both in Scappoose School District 1J, enrolling 723 students combined. These are sequential, not competing, schools: Otto Petersen feeds into Scappoose Middle, so families experience them as one continuous path through grades 4–8.
Scappoose Middle School is the standout. It ranked 102nd of 371 Oregon middle schools (73rd percentile, 4 stars) in 2025-2026, climbing 19 percentile points over two years, and posts the highest proficiency in the ZIP in all three subjects: ELA 49.2%, math 37.5%, science 40.0%. Otto Petersen Elementary School is the attendance standout, with 24.0% chronic absenteeism — better than Scappoose Middle (29.8%), the district (26.2%), and the state (33.5%).
Both schools beat state averages in nearly every measure, though both sit below the district's own higher bar. Science is a local strength, with both schools near 40% against the state's 30.6%. Proficiency peaks at 6th grade (ELA 56.6%, math 44.3%) and then declines in 7th and 8th after the building change, while 4th grade is the weakest point (ELA 29.9%, math 24.6%), below state in both. Attendance and achievement run in opposite directions between the two schools, and Scappoose Middle spends $18,533 per student versus $15,658 at Otto Petersen, despite very similar free/reduced lunch rates.
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