Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 97352

ZIP code 97352 has just one middle school: Jefferson Middle School, which serves grades 6–8 with 178 students in the Jefferson School District 14J. Because it is the only middle-grades school in the area, families here have no local middle-school choice, so this school's results matter for every middle-schooler in the ZIP. About 75% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of a high-need community.

Academically, the school trails Oregon averages in every subject and grade reported. In 2025–2026, 26.2% of students met the standard in English Language Arts versus 43.8% statewide, 12.3% in Mathematics versus 32.9%, and 8.3% in Science versus 30.6%. The strongest grade-level results are 7th grade ELA at 34.6% and 7th grade Math at 23.5% — the school's best, yet still below state averages. The sharpest warning sign is 6th grade Math, reported as under 5% proficient compared with 29.7% statewide, along with 8th grade Science at 8.3% versus 27.7%. Statewide, the school ranked 327th of 371 middle schools (12th percentile, 1 star) in 2025–2026, and it has stayed in the 11th–14th percentile for three years. The district ranks 137th of 141 with 0 stars.

Attendance is a real concern: 40.1% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, meaning roughly 4 in 10. That is better than the district's 44.0% but worse than the state's 33.5%. The school spends $18,456 per student and reports a student-teacher ratio of 41.2, which suggests staffing pressure if that figure means students per teacher. Overall, the data show a high-poverty school with above-average spending, persistently low rankings, and attendance and achievement challenges worth discussing directly with school staff.