Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 97862

ZIP code 97862 is home to two elementary schools, both part of Milton-Freewater Unified School District 7: Gib Olinger Elementary School, which serves grades K–3 with 498 students, and Ferndale Elementary School, which serves grades 4–5 with 240 students. Because each school covers a different grade band, families should read their results as a picture of those grade levels rather than a head-to-head contest — Gib Olinger's "All Grades" numbers are essentially third-grade results, while Ferndale's reflect grades 4 and 5.

Both schools score above their district averages in every subject reported. Gib Olinger Elementary School is the standout in math, with 35.9% proficiency versus 20.2% in the district and 32.9% statewide — the strongest single result in this area. Its English language arts proficiency is 29.1%, below the state's 43.8%. Ferndale Elementary School posts 31.6% in ELA, 26.6% in math, and 20.6% in science; the science figure is only slightly above the district's 19.5% and 10 points below the state's 30.6%. In ELA, both schools remain well below state proficiency.

Attendance is a bright spot. Chronic absenteeism is 28.0% at Ferndale Elementary School and 31.6% at Gib Olinger Elementary School, both better than the district's 34.8% and the state's 33.5%. Ferndale's lower absenteeism comes despite a higher free/reduced lunch rate — 84.58% versus 71.69% at Gib Olinger. Resources look nearly identical: about $20,464 and $20,571 spent per student, with student-teacher ratios of 14.1 and 14.3. Ferndale has ranked at the 25th percentile (533 of 709) and remains a 1-star school, though its percentile rose from 16 in 2023–2024 to 27 in 2024–2025.