Mari-linn Elementary School, Lyons OR

Original Research by School Decision on Mari-linn Elementary School

Mari-Linn Elementary School serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade in the small town of Lyons, Oregon, a community set in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains along the North Santiam River. The school is part of the North Santiam School District 29J and functions as the single K-8 public school in town, meaning that local children spend nine consecutive years in one building before transitioning to high school elsewhere. The school’s enrollment is small, and the grade-level groups are similarly modest in size, which can foster a setting where teachers and staff know students and families across multiple years.

The student body is predominantly White, with a small share of Hispanic students and a handful of multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that a large portion of families are managing on lower household incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the records reviewed. Parents considering this school may want to ask the school directly about the level of special education and English language support available, especially given that the school serves a wide age range and those needs can vary significantly across grades.

State assessment results from the 2024-2025 school year show that student proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are below statewide averages. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency standards ranged from roughly a quarter of third graders to around half of eighth graders, with most intermediate grades falling near or below a quarter. In English language arts, the results were similarly low across most grades; seventh grade had the smallest share of students proficient, while sixth grade had the highest, still below half. Science proficiency rates were also low for both tested grades. The overall proficiency index for the school places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Linn County. This pattern is consistent across subjects and grade levels. A parent may want to discuss with the school how it addresses academic support and whether there are specific interventions in place for students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data were also absent from the available records, so a parent cannot assess attendance patterns from this snapshot.

Lyons itself is a quiet, primarily residential town that has seen very slow population growth and a slight decline in recent years. The timber industry remains a local anchor, with Freres Lumber Company cited as a key employer. The town is compact, with limited commercial corridors and low-density housing. There is no public transit system documented. The housing market in the area has a median home value around the state average, and the town’s stock is mostly owner-occupied. The 2020 Santiam Fire destroyed some homes in Lyons, and recovery has been ongoing. The school is listed as a vital community institution, located near City Hall and a park, integrated into the town rather than on a separate campus. Civic anchors include Lyons Memorial Park, the public library, and several nearby parks along the North Santiam River.

At the district level, North Santiam School District has adopted a strategic plan called Results 2030, which outlines long-term goals through the end of the decade and will shape how resources and programs are allocated across its schools, including Mari-Linn. No recent bond measures or significant curriculum changes were found in publicly available records.

For a family, Mari-Linn Elementary offers a small, rural K-8 environment where students can stay in one school through middle school. The academic performance data points to areas that need attention, especially in math and English language arts, and the school serves a population where economic disadvantage is common. The community is quiet and slow-growing, with outdoor recreation nearby. Parents who value a tight-knit school and are willing to engage directly with staff about academic support may find this a suitable fit. Those seeking higher overall test scores or a wider array of program offerings would want to compare their options.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 44% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 31% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 26% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 29% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 25% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 46% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 36% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 40% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 45% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 45% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 38% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 31% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 15% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolNorth Santiam SD 29J, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.