Summary:
The 97119 zip code is home to a single high school, Gaston Junior/Senior High School, which serves grades 7-12 and is part of the Gaston School District 511J. While the school has a relatively small enrollment of 254 students, it faces a range of challenges that are reflected in its academic performance and other key metrics.
Gaston Junior/Senior High School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 194 out of 268 Oregon high schools in 2023-2024 to 153 out of 270 in 2024-2025. Its test scores show significant variability, with 7th-grade English Language Arts proficiency at 50% in 2024-2025, but 11th-grade proficiency in both English Language Arts and Mathematics much lower, at 38.7% and 9.4%, respectively. The school also struggles with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 34.3% in 2023-2024, indicating potential issues with student engagement and attendance.
Despite the school's relatively high spending per student of $19,311 in 2022-2023, the outcomes do not yet reflect a clear path to improvement. With 45.28% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Gaston Junior/Senior High School serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, which can impact academic performance. Overall, the data suggests that the school faces a range of challenges, including declining performance, uneven test scores, high chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic factors that may be impacting student achievement.
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