Summary:
ZIP code 97405 in Eugene, Oregon is home to four middle schools serving grades 6–8 — Roosevelt Middle School, Kennedy Middle School, Arts and Technology Academy at Jefferson, and Spencer Butte Middle School — all within Eugene School District 4J, which ranks 23rd of 141 districts in Oregon. Together they enroll about 1,585 students. The four are demographically similar, with free/reduced lunch rates clustered between 63.7% and 67.1%, and all four rank above the 65th percentile statewide; three of the four earned 4 stars this year. Families choosing here are choosing among strong, comparable schools rather than between strong and weak ones.
Each school has a distinct profile. Roosevelt is the largest (557 students) yet spends the least per student ($21,921), posts the group's highest math proficiency (45.5%), and has the lowest chronic absenteeism (25.6%) — but also the lowest science score (22.5%). Spencer Butte has the best English language arts results (59.4%), the smallest classes (15.5 students per teacher), and the biggest one-year ranking jump, against the highest absenteeism (36.0%). Kennedy leads in science (52.5%) and has improved its ranking three years running, but its math (32.5%) trails the group. Jefferson has the lowest ELA (46%) and math (30.1%), with 35.0% chronic absenteeism.
Two patterns stand out. First, math is the group's ceiling: the average (37.6%) matches the district almost exactly, and two schools fall below the state. Second, 8th-grade math scores converge tightly — a 3.1-point spread — even though 6th- and 7th-grade math range across 17 and 28.5 points. Grade-to-grade swings are large at Kennedy and Spencer Butte, and higher spending does not track higher achievement.
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