The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Math. The lowest is 22% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Lyle Elementary School
Lyle Elementary School serves kindergarten through third grade in Dallas, Oregon, as part of the Dallas SD 2 district. Because the school covers only the earliest elementary grades, the academic picture available to parents is limited to state testing results in third grade, the only tested year in this grade band. On the most recent Oregon state assessments, roughly three out of every ten third graders scored proficient in math, and roughly two out of every ten scored proficient in English language arts. The school’s overall proficiency index, combining both subjects, places it above the midpoint among the four districts in Polk County. With only a single year of state testing data available, there is no trend to examine yet; parents should treat these results as a baseline for the school’s youngest tested cohort.
The student body is small for a public school, and the vast majority of students are white. A much smaller share identifies as Hispanic, with even smaller numbers of students who are multiracial, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or Black. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status was not available. The school serves a standard early-elementary program, and no information was reported about any special programs, magnet themes, or Title I funding status.
The school is located in Dallas, the county seat of Polk County, about a fifteen-mile drive west of Salem. The city’s economy has undergone a significant transition in recent years. The timber industry, historically the dominant employer, has receded; the Willamette Industries mill, later acquired by Weyerhaeuser, closed its Dallas operation in the early years of this decade, representing a major economic blow. The city now actively markets available industrial sites with highway and rail access, offering incentive packages and streamlined permitting to attract new employers. West Valley Hospital remains a notable local institution. Dallas has a compact downtown civic core anchored by the Polk County Courthouse, along with city parks, the Rickreall Creek Trail System, and a Dallas Aquatic Center. The Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge and the Black Rock mountain biking trail system are nearby recreational assets. Housing values in the area are roughly on par with the Oregon state benchmark, and typical rents have been slightly softening. The area remains part of the Salem metropolitan statistical area.
The district brief did not yield information about recent bond measures, school construction, renovations, or closures. Parents looking into the district’s long-term facility plans or financial outlook may need to seek that information directly from the Dallas SD 2 administration.
For a family considering Lyle Elementary, the main consideration is that this is a transitional school covering only kindergarten through third grade. A child would move to another building for fourth grade onward. The academic data is thin because of the grade band, so the third-grade proficiency snapshot is the only test-based measure available. The school serves a community where a significant share of families qualify for income-based meal assistance, and the local economy has been in a post-timber transition. The setting is small and the peer group will be predominantly white. Parents looking for a fuller picture of academic outcomes before their child reaches the testing years will have little test data to evaluate.
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