Chiloquin Elementary School, Chiloquin OR

Original Research by School Decision on Chiloquin Elementary School

Chiloquin Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural community of Chiloquin, Oregon. The town, which has a deep Klamath Tribal heritage and a substantial American Indian or Alaska Native population, has experienced significant economic decline as the timber industry that once anchored it has largely disappeared. Chiloquin is last in per capita income among Oregon’s incorporated cities, and the only mill in town has closed. The Klamath Tribes remain a major presence through their administration, health services, and the nearby Kla-Mo-Ya Casino. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to the state, and the market has seen modest appreciation, but the economic context is one of limited opportunity.

The school itself is a regular public elementary school within the Klamath County School District. The student body is small for its grade band, and enrollment is spread fairly evenly from kindergarten through sixth grade. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the community’s economic circumstances. Racially and ethnically, the student population is predominantly American Indian or Alaska Native, with a substantial white minority and a small share of Hispanic students.

State assessment results from the most recent testing year provide a snapshot of academic performance. In English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency benchmarks was modest in third grade and fourth grade, then dropped in fifth grade and fell further in sixth grade. In math, a similar pattern emerges: the proportion of students meeting the proficiency standard was higher in third and fourth grades than in fifth and sixth grades, where the rate was quite low. Science results, available only for fifth grade, also showed a modest proficiency rate. When compared to the other districts in Klamath County, the school’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. These are soft spots that a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand what academic interventions and support are in place, particularly as students move into the upper elementary grades.

Data is limited for this school in several areas. Chronic absenteeism rates and staffing information were not available. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate. The parent district, Klamath County School District, passed a capital construction bond in 2023 that includes safety and security improvements, roof replacements, and HVAC updates at multiple schools, though it is not specified whether Chiloquin Elementary is among them. The district has also expanded its career and technical education pathways at the high school level, which would be relevant only for students who continue on to the district’s secondary schools.

For a family considering this school, the picture is of a rural elementary school serving a low-income community with a strong Native American identity and heritage. The academic results on state assessments are below those of other schools in the county, particularly in the upper elementary grades. The school’s size is small, and its setting is a very small town with limited commercial activity, no significant public transit, and a car-dependent layout. Parents who value a close-knit, community-anchored school environment and want their child to attend school alongside a diverse population with a significant Indigenous presence may find this a natural fit. Those who place a priority on high academic proficiency rates relative to state benchmarks will want to look into the school’s specific instructional supports and how the school addresses the academic challenges its test results reflect.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 43% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 27% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 26% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 24% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 40% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 31% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 42% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 38% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 23% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

This schoolKlamath County SD, 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.