Summary:
Zip code 98561 has two small public schools serving grades K–12 in a rural area: Willapa Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade, while Willapa Valley Middle-High serves grades 6–12; together, they enroll 344 students and are operated by Willapa Valley School District.
Willapa Elementary is the stronger and more consistent school by statewide ranking, at the 59th percentile in 2025–2026, compared with the middle-high school’s 17th percentile. Elementary students performed slightly above the state average in math and clearly above it in English Language Arts (ELA). Fifth-grade ELA was a particular bright spot, with 72.73% of students proficient. The school’s 13.4 student-teacher ratio is also lower than the middle-high school’s 15.9. Results have been relatively stable over the past three years, and both ELA and math improved from the prior year. Parents should note that elementary science results were suppressed, so no conclusion can be drawn about that subject.
Willapa Valley Middle-High shows a mixed academic picture. ELA is a relative strength, with 57.26% proficiency overall—above the state average and nearly identical to the elementary result. However, math is the main concern: 23.08% were proficient overall, including only 9.68% in 10th grade, and the school declined substantially from the previous year. Science was also below the state average, especially in 11th grade. Tenth-grade ELA was another weak area, while sixth- and eighth-grade ELA exceeded state results. The district’s overall 43rd-percentile ranking hides this substantial difference between the schools. Families comparing them should view elementary academics as a local strength, while recognizing that secondary math and science need significant improvement.
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