The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on R E Jewell Elementary School
R E Jewell Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Bend, Oregon, as part of the Bend-La Pine Schools district. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits within a rapidly growing city that has transformed from a logging town into a recreation and tourism hub with breweries, mountain biking, skiing, and the Deschutes River running through it. The district itself has been expanding: voters approved a major construction bond in 2022 to fund new schools and upgrades, and a new high school opened recently to relieve overcrowding on the growing east side. For families considering this elementary school, the broader context is a city and district both in the middle of growth and investment.
On state assessments for the 2024-2025 school year, Jewell’s students did not meet proficiency at rates that match most other schools in Deschutes County. Looking across tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile relative to districts across the county. In English language arts, proficiency ranged from about three in ten students in third grade to roughly four in ten in fifth grade. Math results were lower, with about a quarter of third and fourth graders proficient and a smaller share of fifth graders. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed about one in five students reaching proficiency. A parent may want to look into these results further with the school to understand what supports are in place and how the school addresses this pattern—the data covers only one year, so it is unclear whether this is a trend or a snapshot. Because Jewell is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to consider.
The student body is moderately sized, with roughly the same number of students in each grade from kindergarten through fifth. Close to half of the students come from low-income households as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially, the school is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic minority and very small shares of other races and ethnicities. Data on students with disabilities or English learners was not available in the profile, so a family with a child in either of those groups would want to ask the school directly about services.
Bend’s economy is driven by tourism, craft brewing, and outdoor recreation, and the city has been adding population rapidly. Home values in the area are high compared to the state and national averages, and rents have been rising, meaning that for many families housing costs are a significant consideration. The district’s recent bond-funded projects include building a new elementary school—which could affect attendance boundaries in the future—and making safety upgrades. For now, Jewell operates as a neighborhood school for its corner of Bend, drawing from a growing community where the cost of living is elevated and the public school system is expanding to keep up.
The school’s academic profile is the main area where families may want to dig deeper. The state testing numbers suggest that overall performance is below what most of the surrounding districts show, and the lack of multi-year trend data means it is hard to tell whether the school is improving or holding steady. At the same time, Jewell is part of a district that is actively building new capacity and investing in facilities, and it serves an economically diverse student body in a city that continues to attract new residents. For a parent weighing options, the primary question will be about instructional support and how the school is working to lift proficiency in reading, math, and science across all grades.
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