The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in Math. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Parkdale Elementary School
Parkdale Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the small, unincorporated rural community of Parkdale, Oregon, which sits in the Upper Hood River Valley among fruit orchards with Mount Hood visible on the horizon. The school is part of the Hood River County School District, and its setting is distinctly agricultural and small-town. Parkdale itself has a tiny downtown centered on the intersection of Baseline Drive and Clear Creek Road, with a park, a grange hall, and a handful of businesses. The community’s population has remained small and stable over recent decades, and the local economy is driven by orchards, vineyards, a brewery, and the Mount Hood Railroad. Many residents likely commute to Hood River or other nearby towns for work.
Parkdale Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade. Its enrollment is small for an elementary school, and the student body is roughly evenly split between white students and Hispanic students, with a very small share of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a significant portion of families in the community have lower household incomes. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status was not available in the source material.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year are available for math, English language arts, and science, and they show a mixed picture. In third-grade math and English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency was low. Performance improved in fourth grade, where roughly half of students met the bar in math and a smaller share did so in English language arts. Fifth-grade math proficiency was lower than fourth grade, while fifth-grade English language arts proficiency was similar to fourth grade. In fifth-grade science, about a third of students met the proficiency standard. Because this is the only year of data available, there is no trend to compare against, so a parent may want to ask the school how these results compare with prior years and what strategies are in place to support students in the earlier grades where proficiency was lower.
The school is part of the Hood River County School District, which serves the broader county. The district was considering a bond measure in late 2025 to fund a new athletic complex and youth sports fields at Hood River Valley High School, the district’s sole high school. The bond would not increase the tax rate because existing bond debt is rolling off, so it represents a facilities investment without a tax increase for residents.
Housing in the Parkdale area is priced well above the national median, and the local market has seen a modest decline in values recently. Rents are high relative to incomes, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment is also steep, which means housing affordability is a real consideration for families moving into the area. The community itself is small and rural, with a stable population and a local economy built around agriculture and tourism. The county is working on a community plan for Parkdale that will assess infrastructure capacity for future growth, but no major new housing developments have been identified.
Because Parkdale Elementary serves only kindergarten through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school has only a single year of state assessment data available, so there is no trend to show whether performance is improving or declining. A parent may want to ask the school for more context on how these results compare with prior years and what academic supports are in place, particularly in the early grades where proficiency rates were lower. The district was considering a bond measure for athletic facilities at the high school, which would be a lasting investment for students who will eventually move on from Parkdale Elementary.
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