William Knight Elementary School, Canby OR

Original Research by School Decision on William Knight Elementary School

William Knight Elementary School is a regular public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Canby, Oregon. It is part of the Canby School District 86, a district that has not seen any major recent changes in bonds, curriculum, or property taxes according to publicly reported information, suggesting a period of relative stability. The school itself is a neighborhood elementary school with no charter or magnet designation.

The student body is diverse in economic background. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially, the largest group is white, followed by a Hispanic population, with small numbers of Asian students and students who identify with two or more races. Data on the share of students with disabilities or English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly for those figures.

Academically, the school’s performance on Oregon’s state assessments places it below the midpoint among districts in Clackamas County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The results vary by grade and subject. In reading and math, third and fourth graders showed proficiency rates that were moderate, while fifth and sixth graders posted lower rates. Science, which is tested in fifth grade, also showed a low proficiency rate. The multi-year trend data shows only one year of results (2024-2025), so it is not possible to see whether performance is improving or declining over time. A parent considering this school may want to inquire about the reasons for the grade-level differences and what support is in place for older elementary students.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report. No chronic absenteeism data was available in the provided information. The school is a regular public school, and course offerings or special programs were not listed in the data.

The community context matters here. Canby is a growing city with a population that increased in the last census. It has a downtown core with shops and restaurants along Highway 99E, a farmers market, and community events. The local economy is a mix of nursery and flower-growing industries and small to mid-sized manufacturing in precision metals and high tech. The city operates its own bus system, Canby Area Transit, and the historic Canby Ferry crosses the Willamette River. Housing in Canby is expensive relative to national medians; the city describes itself as having larger lots and new subdivisions under development. The walkable area is mostly downtown, while the rest of the city is more auto-oriented. Canby’s identity as a separate municipality from the Portland metro core, with its own transit and industrial land, suggests a community that values local control and is growing steadily.

For a family, William Knight Elementary offers a standard elementary education in a stable district within a growing, self-contained city. The school’s academic results are not strong relative to other Clackamas County districts, so parents who place a high priority on test scores may want to explore what academic interventions or enrichment are available. The school’s size is typical for an elementary, and its economic diversity is notable. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations is a gap a prospective parent should fill by speaking with school staff. The setting is a small city with its own amenities and a commuter connection to the Portland area, offering a mix of suburban and semi-rural feel.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 42% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 27% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 25% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 25% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 44% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 40% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 40% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 37% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

This schoolCanby SD 86, 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.