Summary:
ZIP code 97737 is home to two public schools — Gilchrist Elementary School (grades K–6, 125 students) and Gilchrist Junior/Senior High School (grades 7–12, 105 students) — both part of the Klamath County School District and both sharing one campus at 201 Mountain View Dr in Gilchrist, a small, high-poverty rural community where more than 9 in 10 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The two schools are moving in opposite directions. Gilchrist Elementary has climbed steadily in the state rankings, from the 18th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 47th percentile in 2025–2026, and its science proficiency (36.4%) beats both the district and the state. Its math (30.9%) sits slightly below the state average, with 5th-grade math at 18.2% a clear weak spot and 6th-grade math at 36.8% a strength. The junior/senior high school, by contrast, fell from the 70th percentile to the 25th, ending at 1 star, with proficiency below district and state in every subject — ELA 27.3%, math 14.3%, science 23.1%. Eleventh-grade math is only 7.1%.
Notably, the high school spends more per student ($37,495 vs. $26,405) and has smaller classes (8.9 students per teacher vs. 13.7), yet posts weaker results — a reminder that resources alone don't guarantee outcomes. Chronic absenteeism is the biggest shared concern: 44.6% at the elementary school and 59.6% at the high school, both far above the district's 31.0% and the state's 33.5%. The high school's graduation rate is 80.0%, below the district's 86.7% and the state's 83.0%. Because both schools are small, year-to-year numbers can swing noticeably, so parents should watch absenteeism and upper-grade math trends most closely.
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