Summary:
The 97352 zip code area has only one middle school, Jefferson Middle School, which serves grades 6-8 and is part of the Jefferson School District 14J. This school has faced significant challenges, with a declining statewide ranking, low student proficiency rates, and a high chronic absenteeism rate.
Jefferson Middle School's performance has been consistently poor, with only 20.8% of 8th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 41.6%. The school's statewide ranking has dropped from 340 out of 380 Oregon middle schools in 2022-2023 to 315 out of 368 in 2024-2025, and it has maintained a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students (65%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.
Despite the higher-than-average per-student spending of $17,948, the school's academic outcomes remain poor, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving the school's performance. The school's relatively high student-teacher ratio of 19.2 could also be a contributing factor to the low academic achievement, as larger class sizes can make it more difficult for teachers to provide individualized attention and support to students. Addressing the underlying issues, such as chronic absenteeism and socioeconomic challenges, may be necessary to improve the school's performance and outcomes.
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