Summary:
ZIP code 97321 in Albany, Oregon is home to two middle schools — Memorial Middle School and North Albany Middle School — both serving grades 6–8 within the Greater Albany Public School District 8J and enrolling 1,023 students combined (544 at Memorial, 479 at North Albany).
North Albany Middle School is the clear standout: it ranked 49th of 371 Oregon middle schools (87th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025-2026, placing it in the top ~13% of the state, and it has improved each year of the reported three-year window (75th, then 51st, then 49th). It beats the district and state averages in every subject and grade reported — 10 of 10 comparisons — including 8th-grade math at 54.5%, which is 24.5 points above the state. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 24.2% is well below both the district (34.8%) and state (33.5%).
Memorial Middle School ranked 218th of 371 (41st percentile, 2 stars) and trails the district and state in every subject overall. Its bright spots are 8th-grade ELA at 45.3% (above the state's 41.5%) and 8th-grade science at 28.1% (slightly above the state's 27.7%). Its chronic absenteeism rate of 36.5% is the highest figure in this data set, exceeding both district and state. Notably, the two schools look very similar on background measures — free/reduced lunch is 76.1% at Memorial versus 75.57% at North Albany, and class sizes are 20.0 versus 19.7 — yet North Albany out-proficients Memorial by 24.2 points in ELA, 21.4 in math, and 10.9 in science, while spending $1,297 more per student ($18,713 vs $17,416). The combined ZIP average looks above district and state averages, but that result is driven by North Albany alone. These are single-year test, spending, and attendance figures for just two schools, so they are descriptive comparisons rather than evidence of trends or causes.
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