The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Takena Elementary School
Takena Elementary School serves children from kindergarten through second grade, making it one of the few public schools in Albany that focuses exclusively on the earliest years of elementary education. With a small enrollment for its grade band, the school is part of the Greater Albany Public SD 8J district and sits in a residential area of the city. The school does not offer state testing results for its current grade span because Oregon’s standardized assessments begin in third grade; the most recent academic data available comes from a single school year more than a decade ago, when Takena still served older elementary grades. That historical snapshot, based on the Smarter Balanced assessment and science testing, showed proficiency rates that placed the school in the top quartile relative to other districts in Linn County at the time. A parent evaluating this school today will find no current test scores to examine, which is typical for a primary-only building.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and a modest mix of other racial and ethnic identities. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with notable economic diversity. The school is a regular public school without charter or magnet status.
Albany itself is a city with a historic downtown district, antique shops, and community theater, and it serves as the Linn County seat. The local economy blends retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and some specialty industries such as rare metals processing and freeze-dried food production. The city has seen shifts away from timber and some manufacturing but has worked to revive its downtown and attract green technology. Housing in the area reflects a mix of single-family homes and rentals; typical home values and rents are moderate compared to national averages, and the mortgage-to-rent comparison suggests renting is the more immediately affordable option in the current market. For families looking to buy, the affordability picture depends on income and down payment size. The district itself reported no major recent changes that would affect school operations.
Takena Elementary offers a straightforward academic pathway for the very early grades: kindergarten through second grade. Without later grades on site, students will transition to another elementary school in the district after second grade. That transition is something families should plan for, especially if they value continuity. The school does not have publicly available data on special education identification rates or English learner services, so a parent with a child who may need those supports would want to contact the school directly.
For a family weighing this school, the main considerations are its narrow grade span and the absence of current academic measures. The historical test data, while too old to represent today’s instruction, does suggest that when Takena did serve upper elementary grades, its performance was strong relative to other Linn County districts. That may give some confidence, but the school’s current mission is entirely foundational: building literacy and numeracy in the youngest students. The small size likely allows for close attention from staff, and the school’s setting in a mid-sized city with parks and cultural resources offers a reasonably supportive community environment.
In short, Takena Elementary is a primary-only public school in a working city with a mixed economy. Parents who enroll will need to look ahead to the next school for their child after second grade, and they will not have state test results to consult for their child’s current grade. The school’s strength, based on what is available to report, lies in its historical record of relatively strong performance when it tested older grades, and in its focus on the early years in a district that serves the broader Albany area.
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