Best Public Schools in Zip Code 97351

ZIP code 97351 covers Independence, Oregon, and contains three schools — one elementary, one middle and one high school — all part of Central School District 13J: Independence Elementary School (K–5, 425 students), Talmadge Middle School (6–8, 716 students) and Central High School (9–12, 1,008 students), for 2,149 students total. The district ranks 120th of 141 Oregon districts (15th percentile, 1 star), and no school here is rated above 1 star; Independence Elementary dropped to 0 stars in 2024-2025. Enrollment grows sharply from elementary to high school, so other elementary schools feed these buildings.

Within this struggling context, Talmadge Middle School is the relative bright spot: 26th percentile statewide, the only school with three consecutive years of improvement (22nd → 23rd → 26th), the best attendance (34.9% chronic absenteeism) and the smallest classes (18.8 students per teacher). Central High School is a school of extremes — ELA of 42.9% is close to Oregon's 43.8%, but math proficiency is 7% versus 32.9% statewide. It has the largest enrollment and the highest per-pupil spending ($19,907). Independence Elementary School has the lowest state percentile (14th) and the highest chronic absenteeism in the set at 48.6%, though it posted the steepest one-year rebound, from 3rd percentile/0 stars to 14th/1 star.

Two patterns matter for families. Math is the system-wide weak point and worsens up the pipeline, from a 7.2-point gap between ELA and math proficiency at the elementary to 35.9 points at the high school, where graduation is 77.3% against 83.0% statewide. Science is uniformly weak — all three schools sit 12.5 to 17.5 points below the state. Attendance and results line up almost perfectly, with the worst-attending school also posting the lowest outcomes, and targeted attention at 4th grade and 8th grade, the weakest grades in the set, along with protecting 7th grade's strength, would address where the data actually breaks.