Summary:
Middle schools in ZIP code 97501 — Medford, Oregon — are two public schools serving grades 6 through 8: McLoughlin Middle School (826 students) and Oakdale Middle School (745 students), both in Medford School District 549C, together enrolling 1,571 students.
The two schools perform similarly overall but lead in different subjects. Oakdale has the stronger all-grade math proficiency (24.0% vs. 21.4%), while McLoughlin leads in all-grade English language arts (40.0% vs. 38.9%) and science (19% vs. 15%). Both fall below district and state averages in every subject. McLoughlin's best result is 6th grade ELA at 46.6%, above the district (39.2%) and state (41.8%). Its math scores, however, slide from 29.2% in 6th grade to 19.7% in 7th and 15.4% in 8th. Oakdale is steadier in math (24.2%, 27.6%, 20.2%) and better in 7th grade ELA and 8th grade math.
Both schools face the same big challenges. Chronic absenteeism is very high — 42.5% at McLoughlin and 41.4% at Oakdale, compared with 35.4% districtwide and 33.5% statewide — and roughly 87% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Science is the weakest subject, especially at Oakdale (15%). Oakdale spends more per student ($17,933 vs. $16,871) and has smaller classes (18.8 vs. 20.0 students per teacher), yet does not consistently outperform McLoughlin. Each school earned 2 stars for 2025–2026; McLoughlin has improved steadily in state rankings (23rd to 35th percentile), while Oakdale has been more uneven (31st to 29th to 34th).
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