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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 97801

At a glance

Schools

1,321

Students

Top rankedMcKay Creek Elementary School267^th of 709 Oregon elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Sherwood Heights Elementary School up 45 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

ZIP code 97801 in Pendleton, Oregon is home to four elementary schools, all within Pendleton School District 16: three K–5 schools — Sherwood Heights Elementary School, Washington Elementary School, and McKay Creek Elementary School — plus one PK–K school, Pendleton Early Learning Center. Together they enroll about 1,321 students. The district as a whole ranks 110th of 141 in Oregon at the 22nd percentile with a 1-star rating, but that district-wide picture hides wide differences between individual schools.

McKay Creek Elementary School is the clear standout: 50.8% proficiency in English language arts, 38.3% in math, and 34.0% in science — all above district and state averages — with chronic absenteeism of just 14.1% and a 3-star rating for three straight years (267th of 709 in 2025–2026). Notably, it does this with the lowest per-student spending ($16,793) and highest student-teacher ratio (18.4) among the K–5 schools. Washington Elementary School is uneven: 5th-grade ELA is strong at 49.5%, but 5th-grade math is only 12.0% and overall math is 22.3%; its rating slipped from 2 stars to 1 star. Sherwood Heights Elementary School trails district and state in ELA (31.4%), math (23.6%), and science (24.7%), and has held a 1-star rating for three years.

Attendance is a bright spot across the ZIP code — every school is below the district (33.3%) and state (33.5%) chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from McKay Creek's 14.1% to Sherwood Heights' 30.3%. Poverty is high, with all three K–5 schools near 83% free/reduced lunch, yet proficiency still varies from 22.3% to 50.8% in ELA and 22.3% to 38.3% in math. That range is the key takeaway: strong results are possible within this district under similar circumstances. Pendleton Early Learning Center serves PK–K only, so it has no test scores or rating; its high spending ($23,482) and low student-teacher ratio (13.8) reflect early-childhood programming, and its reported free/reduced lunch figure of 113.71% is a reporting anomaly rather than a real rate.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				OSAS English Language Arts (2026)				OSAS Mathematics (2026)				OSAS Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	OSAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	OSAS English Language Arts All Grades	OSAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	OSAS Mathematics 4th Grade	OSAS Mathematics 5th Grade	OSAS Mathematics All Grades	OSAS Science 5th Grade	OSAS Science All Grades	Vaccination: Students (K-12) with all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
McKay Creek Elementary School	Public	K-5	1539 SW 44th St	Pendleton	97801	Umatilla County	Pendleton School District 16	No	(n/a)	No	No	(541) 966-3000	265	14	18.4	82.6%	203 (76.6%)	4 (1.5%)	26 (9.8%)	2 (0.8%)	6 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.1%)	56.9	267^th of 709 public elementary schools	62.3%		57.4	259^th of 706 public elementary schools	63.3%	8	54.8	41.7	54.0	50.8	40.5	36.1	38.0	38.3	34.0	34.0	93.5%	6.5%	$16,793	$231	$16,562
Sherwood Heights Elementary School	Public	K-5	3235 SW Nye Ave	Pendleton	97801	Umatilla County	Pendleton School District 16	No	(n/a)	No	No	(541) 966-3050	439	27	16.2	83.8%	274 (62.4%)	8 (1.8%)	87 (19.8%)	4 (0.9%)	20 (4.6%)	2 (0.5%)	44 (10.0%)	24.7	546^th of 709 public elementary schools	23.0%		19.4	591^st of 706 public elementary schools	16.3%	45	34.3	24.3	35.3	31.4	31.4	20.0	20.2	23.6	24.7	24.7	92.5%	7.2%	$17,618	$251	$17,367
Washington Elementary School	Public	K-5	1205 SE Byers Ave	Pendleton	97801	Umatilla County	Pendleton School District 16	No	(n/a)	No	No	(541) 966-5552	420	26	16.4	83.1%	208 (49.5%)	4 (1.0%)	78 (18.6%)	1 (0.2%)	89 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.5%)	28.6	512^th of 709 public elementary schools	27.8%		32.5	470^th of 706 public elementary schools	33.4%	42	25.3	37.6	49.5	38.1	30.4	25.9	12.0	22.3	22.3	22.3	93.3%	6%	$17,952	$112	$17,840
Pendleton Early Learning Center	Public	PK-K	455 SW 13th St	Pendleton	97801	Umatilla County	Pendleton School District 16	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(541) 966-3300	197	14	13.8	—	120 (60.9%)	1 (0.5%)	40 (20.3%)	3 (1.5%)	16 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.6%)								(n/a)											87%	12.4%	$23,482	$4,618	$18,864

Cities Near Zip Code 97801

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Pendleton	0.23 mi	9	150^th
Pilot Rock	12.81 mi	2	147^th
Helix	14.43 mi	1
Athena	17.87 mi	2	78^th
Echo	19.78 mi	1

See the top OR Oregon cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Oregon Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.