Summary:
ZIP code 97530, in and around Jacksonville in southern Oregon, is served by three elementary schools — Jacksonville Elementary School, Ruch Outdoor Community School, and Applegate Elementary School — with two in Medford School District 549C and one in Three Rivers/Josephine County School District. Together they enroll 617 students. Jacksonville and Ruch serve K–8, while Jacksonville serves K–5, so families here have both elementary-only and K–8 options, and the two Medford schools make up about 85% of local enrollment.
All three schools outperform the Oregon state averages in reading, math, and science at the all-grades level, which is a strong result for one small area. Jacksonville Elementary School is the academic leader: 55.5% proficient in ELA, 60.9% in math (nearly double the state's 32.9%), and 48.9% in science, with the largest enrollment (328) and the top rank history. Applegate Elementary School is the smallest (92 students) but ranks highest among the K–8 schools at the 76th percentile, has the lowest chronic absenteeism (28.2%) and the smallest classes (13.1 students per teacher), even though it has the highest free/reduced-lunch rate at 97.83%. Ruch Outdoor Community School clears the state in every subject but trails the other two, and has the highest absenteeism at 37.4% and the lowest per-student spending ($19,536).
A few cautions for parents: spending does not line up simply with results — Jacksonville spends the most ($29,276) and scores highest, Ruch spends the least and scores lowest, and Applegate sits in the middle on spending yet performs well. Science is a thin advantage for Applegate and Ruch (about 3–4 points above state) versus a large one for Jacksonville. And because Applegate is so small, many of its grade-by-grade scores are suppressed; those blanks are unknowns, not zeros, so the all-grades figures are the more reliable guide.
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