Summary:
ZIP code 97330 has two middle schools, both serving grades 6–8 in the highly rated Corvallis School District 509J: Linus Pauling Middle School, with 712 students, and Cheldelin Middle School, with 488. Together they enroll 1,200 middle schoolers, and the district ranks 11th of 141 in Oregon (92nd percentile, 5 stars), with both schools currently rated 4 stars. Both score above state averages in English language arts (ELA), math and science, though most of their results sit slightly below district averages.
Cheldelin Middle School is the stronger school in ELA, leading Linus Pauling Middle School in every grade level and overall (51.0% vs. 46.7%). It also has lower chronic absenteeism (27.6% vs. 32.9%, and below both the district's 30.2% and the state's 33.5%) and spends $686 more per student ($20,243 vs. $19,557). Historically it ranked far higher — 46th of 368 in 2024–2025 versus Linus Pauling's 104th — but that gap nearly vanished in 2025–2026, when the two landed at 98th and 101st of 371, essentially tied.
Linus Pauling Middle School leads in math overall (38.6% vs. 36.5%) and science (43.1% vs. 40.4%), with a standout 8th-grade math result of 38.5% against Cheldelin's 30.1%. That 8th-grade math figure is Cheldelin's clearest weak spot — just 0.1 point above the state average and 9.0 points below the district. Linus Pauling's softest spot is 6th-grade ELA at 39.4%, below both district and state. The two schools serve very similar populations: free/reduced lunch is 57.87% versus 57.58%, and student-teacher ratios are 18.3 versus 18.2. In short, Cheldelin is the better choice for ELA and attendance, Linus Pauling for math and science, and neither dominates the other.
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