Summary:
ZIP code 97352 is home to just one high school — Jefferson High School, a public school serving grades 9–12 with 245 students in the town of Jefferson, part of Jefferson School District 14J. Because it is the only high school in the area, there are no local peers to compare it against; the useful comparisons are with its own district and with Oregon statewide averages.
The school's clearest strength is its graduation rate of 84.5%, which is equal to the district's 84.5% and slightly above Oregon's 83.0%. Science is also a relative bright spot locally: 17.9% of students were proficient, above the district's all-grade science rate of 14.8%, though still below the state's 30.6%. Everything else in the academic picture is much weaker. Only 17.3% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, versus 26.6% in the district and 43.8% statewide. Math is the most acute problem, with just 7.7% proficiency — below the district's 12.4% and far below the state's 32.9%. Chronic absenteeism is also a major concern: 51.3% of students were chronically absent, compared with 44.0% in the district and 33.5% across Oregon.
The trend line is troubling. Jefferson High School's state rank has fallen from 92nd of 268 schools (66th percentile, 3 stars) in 2023–2024 to 186th of 270 (31st percentile, 2 stars) in 2024–2025, and then to 253rd of 271 (7th percentile, 0 stars) in 2025–2026 — a drop into the bottom 7% of ranked Oregon high schools. The district itself ranks 137th of 141, in the 3rd percentile with 0 stars, so these struggles are district-wide rather than isolated. About 75.92% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, per-student spending is reported at $21,337, and the student-teacher ratio is 31.8. Families should note the unusual gap between a solid graduation rate and very low proficiency and attendance numbers.
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