The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Marshfield Junior High
Marshfield Junior High is a regular public school in Coos Bay, Oregon, serving only seventh and eighth graders. It belongs to the Coos Bay School District and sits in the city’s Marshfield district, the historic downtown area that also holds the Carnegie Library, Egyptian Theatre, and a waterfront boardwalk. Coos Bay itself functions as the regional hub for the south coast, with healthcare, education, maritime port operations, and retail as the dominant employers. The city is hilly and auto-oriented outside the downtown core, and the school’s location at 755 South 7th Street places it near the commercial spine rather than in a residential neighborhood.
The student body is about four hundred pupils, split roughly evenly between the two grades. A substantial majority of students are white, with a noticeable share identifying as Hispanic and smaller numbers of multiracial, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian students. A large portion of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a high level of economic need in the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the school’s reporting.
On Oregon’s state assessments for the 2024-2025 school year, proficiency rates varied by subject and grade. In English language arts, seventh graders reached a higher proficiency rate than eighth graders, though both were below the midpoint of what might be expected. Math proficiency was weaker, especially in eighth grade, and eighth-grade science proficiency also came in at a low level. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among districts in Coos County, meaning that in this regional context the school performs better than some of its peers, even if the absolute percentages are modest. This is a single-year snapshot; multi-year trends were not available because only one year of data was reported.
Because Marshfield Junior High serves only two grades, there is no graduation rate to examine. The school also did not provide information on discipline, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, or course offerings such as advanced coursework or career-technical programs. A parent looking to understand the full academic pathway here would want to ask the school directly about what programs and supports are available for students who need extra help or who are ready for more challenge.
Housing in Coos Bay is more affordable than the Oregon state average. Home values in the area have softened slightly in the past year, and renting is a cheaper monthly option than buying in the current mortgage rate environment. The city describes itself as poised for growth, with a deep-water port and rail link, but no major new housing developments were identified in available sources. The community is compact enough that the school is within a short drive of most neighborhoods.
Marshfield Junior High occupies a middle ground: it is a small, two-grade school in a regional hub town, with a high-need student population and state test results that indicate many students are not meeting proficiency benchmarks. Relative to other districts in Coos County, its overall performance is above the midpoint, but the raw figures suggest that a family considering this school would want to understand what academic interventions and enrichment programs are in place, since the assessment data alone points to areas where the school is working to raise achievement.
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