The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Elementary School
Liberty Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Albany, Oregon, and sits within the Greater Albany Public SD 8J. The school is located in a city whose economy has long been tied to farming, manufacturing, and retail trade, with major employers in specialty metals and freeze-dried food production. Downtown Albany is a National Historic District, and the city has worked to revive its shopping area in recent years. For a family considering this neighborhood, the local housing market is pricey relative to national benchmarks. The typical home value in the ZIP code sits above the state average, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home is higher than the typical rent, meaning that buying comes at a steep premium over renting here. Unemployment is moderate, and real median household income nationally has been fairly stable.
Liberty is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its enrollment is small for an elementary school, and the student body is predominantly white, with a noticeable Hispanic share and a modest representation of students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a standard measure of economic need. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learner status was not available in the information provided.
The school’s academic performance is drawn from state assessments in the 2024–2025 school year. In reading, proficiency rates across grades three through five cluster in the mid-forties, meaning around half of students met the state standard. Math results are a few points lower, with the highest rate in third grade and a drop in fourth grade. Science, tested only in fifth grade, shows a much lower proficiency rate, a common pattern across elementary schools. Because this is the only year of data available, there is no multi-year trend to see whether these results are improving or slipping. The comparison fact-set places Liberty’s overall proficiency index in the top quartile relative to districts within Linn County, which is a positive signal: among the handful of districts in this county, the school’s combined performance across subjects and grades sits at the higher end. That said, the comparison is at the district level for a set of eight districts, so the ranking is a broad neighborhood position rather than a precise school-to-school comparison.
This school does not serve beyond fifth grade, so there is no graduation rate to consider. Parents looking ahead to middle and high school will need to look at the feeder pattern within the Greater Albany district. No data on chronic absenteeism, disciplinary actions, course access, or staffing ratios was available, so those aspects of the school environment are not part of this account.
For a family weighing Liberty Elementary, the picture is of a small, economically diverse elementary school that, in its first year of reported state testing, produced reading and math results that are respectable for the county. The science results are lower, which a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand how science instruction is approached in the upper grades. The lack of trend data means there is no evidence yet of improvement or decline. The city of Albany itself has seen economic shifts away from timber and manufacturing, but downtown revitalization efforts and a stable set of civic anchors, including parks, museums, and a historic carousel, give families some local amenities. The housing market is expensive relative to incomes, which may shape the mix of families who live in this attendance zone.
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