Summary:
ZIP code 97850 in La Grande, Oregon is home to five schools serving students from elementary through high school — three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school — all within La Grande School District 1, with a combined enrollment of 2,014 students. Poverty levels are nearly identical across the group: every school has a free/reduced lunch rate between 63.08% and 65.76%. Despite that shared economic context, academic results vary widely, and the district as a whole ranks 70th of 141 Oregon districts (50th percentile, 3 stars).
Three elementary schools show the sharpest contrasts. Central Elementary School is the strongest all-around performer, beating district and state in ELA (45.9%), math (39.5%), and science (37.3%), with 20.1% chronic absenteeism and steady 3-star rankings. Island City Elementary School has the lowest absenteeism in the ZIP code (16.7%) and also tops district and state in all three subjects; it earned 4 stars in the two prior years before slipping to 3 stars. Greenwood Elementary School is the clear outlier on the low side: 1 star for three straight years, the lowest proficiency in the area (ELA 29.8%, math 23.8%, science 13.8%), and 36.4% absenteeism — even though it has the smallest classes (12.9 students per teacher) and the second-highest spending ($18,077 per student).
La Grande High School is a split story: a 93.8% graduation rate (well above the state's 83.0%) and strong science (44.4% vs. the state's 30.6%), but low ELA (28.6%) and math (15%) proficiency and the highest absenteeism in the ZIP code (42.9%). La Grande Middle School is near the state in ELA (42.5% vs. 43.8%) but trails in math (26.5%) and science (22.8%). The main strengths are Central's balance, Island City's attendance, and the high school's graduation and science results; the biggest concerns are Greenwood's elementary achievement and high-school and middle-school ELA/math and absenteeism.
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