Summary:
ZIP code 97801, covering Pendleton, Oregon, contains nine schools serving about 3,008 students in grades PK through 12 — four elementary schools, one middle school, three high schools, and one alternative school. Eight are run by Pendleton School District 16 (2,901 students) and one, a K–12 virtual academy, by InterMountain Education Service District (107 students). Rankings and test scores reflect 2025‑26; graduation, absenteeism, spending, and class-size figures reflect 2024‑25. Two schools report no test data, one school's math result is suppressed by the state, and another's is given only as "under 5%," so academic comparisons cover seven of the nine.
McKay Creek Elementary School is the clear standout — the only school here above the state in all three subjects (ELA 50.8% vs. 43.8%, math 38.3% vs. 32.9%, science 34.0% vs. 30.6%) and by far the lowest chronic absenteeism at 14.1%, against a state rate of 33.5%. Pendleton High School leads in science at 45.3% (state 30.6%) and graduation at 94.6% (state 83.0%), and its rank has climbed to the 57th percentile, though math (20.8%) lags well below state. Washington Elementary School, Sherwood Heights Elementary School, and Sunridge Middle School all sit below state in every subject.
At the other end, Hawthorne Alternative High School has 94.2% chronic absenteeism, the lowest English scores (9.1%) and graduation rate (72.2%) in the area. Nixyaawii Community School reports science at 6.3%, math under 5%, and 56.4% absenteeism; its ranking swung from the 76th to the 5th percentile in a single year at just 89 students. Across the area, math is the weakest subject and science the strongest. Notably, the four K–5 and middle schools have nearly identical low-income rates (about 83%), yet their English proficiency spans 31.4% to 50.8% — and absenteeism tracks those results far more closely than poverty does.
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