The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Henry L Slater Elementary School
Henry L Slater Elementary is the sole elementary school serving Burns and the surrounding area within Harney County School District 3, a K–5 regular public school enrolling a student body of moderate size for its grade band. It sits in the small, remote ranching town of Burns, the county seat of Oregon’s largest and most sparsely populated county, where the economy has long depended on cattle, alfalfa, and government services and where population has declined over the past two decades.
On the 2024–2025 Oregon state assessments, proficiency rates at Slater varied noticeably by subject and grade. In math, the share of students meeting the bar was below half in every tested grade, with third graders posting a higher rate than fourth and fifth graders. English language arts showed a starker split: roughly two in five third graders and nearly half of fifth graders were proficient, while only about one in five fourth graders reached that level. On the fifth-grade science test, about a third of students were proficient. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Harney County. Only a single year of assessment data was available, so no trend line could be drawn; a parent or resident interested in year-over-year direction would want to ask the school or district about prior results.
More than half of Slater’s students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a signal that the school serves a community with a substantial share of low-income families. The student population is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic segment of more than one in ten students and smaller shares of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native and those identifying as two or more races. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records, so a family with a child in either category would want to follow up with the school directly about available supports and services.
The housing market in Burns is a relative bright spot for affordability. Typical home values are well below both the Oregon and national benchmarks, and the area’s economic context — with a median household income near the national figure and a moderate unemployment rate — makes ownership more accessible than in many parts of the state. That said, Burns has experienced steady population decline over the past couple of decades, and the local economy has not seen major new development in recent years. The school district reported no recent parent-relevant changes such as bond measures, curriculum shifts, or boundary adjustments, leaving a stable but static picture.
Because Slater serves only kindergarten through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Information on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and course access was also absent from the available data; these are topics a prospective parent may wish to explore with the school office. The school functions as a standard regular public elementary with no charter or magnet status, and it operates within a rural district that has a limited number of schools overall. For families considering the area, Slater Elementary is the local neighborhood school, and its academic results — modest and uneven across grades — suggest that a closer look at how the school addresses literacy and math gaps, particularly in the intermediate grades, would be worthwhile.
See more original research from School Decision →