The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Math. The lowest is 33% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Wilbur School District
Wilbur School District serves the full span of kindergarten through twelfth grade in Lincoln County, eastern Washington. The district is small, with a single elementary school and a single secondary school, and the total enrollment is modest for a K-12 system. Because the district is small, each class size is small too; a parent moving in will find a setting where their child is known by name from early grades onward.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small but present share of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native and a small share who are two or more races. Hispanic students make up a modest portion of the enrollment, and the district reports very few Asian students and no Black students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not available. Likewise, information on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not provided; a family with a child who has an identified special need may want to ask the district directly about how those services are staffed and delivered in such a small setting.
State assessment results from the most recent school year offer a mixed picture, and the district sits in the bottom quartile of overall proficiency among Lincoln County's districts, based on the mean of reported proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades. In math, results varied sharply by grade. Third graders posted a strong proficiency rate, but fourth grade dropped notably, sixth grade was close to the midpoint of the range, and seventh grade was quite low. Two grade levels, fifth and eighth, had results that were suppressed, likely because the tested group was too small to report. In English language arts, third grade showed a proficiency rate around the middle, fourth and sixth grades were lower, seventh grade was low, and eighth grade was somewhat higher. Science proficiency at fifth grade was around the midpoint of the state range, while eighth-grade science results were suppressed.
Because only one year of data is available across all subjects, there is no trend to examine. The district has no multi-year record on the current tests, so a parent cannot tell from this evidence alone whether performance is improving or declining. This is a gap worth discussing with the school.
The district's chronic absenteeism rate sits below the midpoint among Lincoln County's districts, meaning a somewhat larger share of students than the county median miss significant school time. That is a soft spot a parent may want to investigate further. The district does not have a reported four-year graduation rate, so that measure is absent from the comparison.
On spending, current per-pupil expenditures are in the upper half of the middle range among the county's seven districts. The housing context in the area served is moderate relative to Washington as a whole. The weighted home value across the district's zip codes is well below the state benchmark, and the rental market data was not available. The primary zip code, representing the town of Wilbur, shows home values that have been rising modestly. A second zip code from the town of Odessa contributes a small weight and shows a slight decline.
The search for recent district-level changes—budget adjustments, boundary shifts, new programs, or leadership turnover—turned up little of lasting impact. The district has not publicly reported major initiatives or disruptions, so this area is thin. A family considering the district will want to ask directly about current academic programming, any course offerings at the secondary level, and how the schools support students through transitions like middle to high school.
In sum, Wilbur School District offers a small, rural, K-12 setting where a family gets a known environment and where per-pupil spending is above the county median. The academic results on state tests are uneven and place the district in the bottom quarter among county peers for overall proficiency. Chronic absenteeism is a concern. The absence of data on special education rates, English learner support, graduation rate, and any recent district changes means that a parent looking at this district should plan to spend time talking directly with the school administration to fill in the picture.
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