Best Public Schools in Zip Code 97324

ZIP code 97324 covers the rural community of Alsea in Benton County, Oregon, and contains a single school: Alsea Charter School. It is a K–12 alternative school serving 235 students and is the only school in Alsea School District 7J, so there is no in-district peer to compare it against — the meaningful benchmark is the Oregon state average. Achievement results are from 2025–2026 OSAS assessments, while graduation rate, attendance, spending and staffing figures come from 2024–2025.

The school's strongest showings are in the early grades and in 11th grade science. Fifth grade English language arts sits at 42.9% proficient versus 47.1% statewide, third grade ELA at 36% versus 41.5%, and 11th grade science at 31.3% versus 33.8% — just 2.5 points behind, the narrowest gap in the data. Beyond that, the gaps widen sharply. Sixth grade ELA is 8.7% against 41.8% statewide, and seventh and eighth grade math are both under 5% proficient, compared with state rates of 33.3% and 30%. Overall, 13.4% of students are proficient in math versus 32.9% statewide, and 26.5% in ELA versus 43.8%. The most striking figure is the graduation rate: 47.8%, compared with 83.0% statewide — a 35.2-point gap.

Context matters when reading these numbers. Chronic absenteeism, at 35.0%, is close to the state's 33.5%, and 67.66% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Per-student spending is high at $28,382, yet the student–teacher ratio is also high at 23.8 — roughly 10 teachers covering 13 grade levels. With about 18 students per grade, a few students can shift a grade-level percentage by several points, so the "under 5%" math results should be read as bounds rather than exact scores. As an alternative school, it may also serve students whose timelines differ from comprehensive-school norms, so direct state comparisons deserve caution.