Mckenzie River Community School, Finn Rock OR

Original Research by School Decision on Mckenzie River Community School

McKenzie River Community School is a K-12 charter school in Finn Rock, a small unincorporated community along the McKenzie River in Lane County, Oregon. The school is the only school in the McKenzie School District 68, which consolidated to a single campus after the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed much of the area’s infrastructure. It now operates as an independent charter district, a structural shift that shapes every aspect of the school experience.

The student body is small and predominantly white, with a notable share of Hispanic students and a smaller number of students identifying with two or more races. A very high share of students come from low-income households, based on free or reduced-price meal eligibility. The school serves grades kindergarten through twelve in a single building, which means siblings attend the same campus and students move through their entire academic career in one setting. For families who value a close-knit, rural school community where teachers and staff know every student, this scale is a defining feature.

Academically, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Lane County, a strong result for a small rural school. However, performance varies noticeably by grade level and subject. In math, proficiency rates range from roughly a third of students meeting standards in some intermediate grades to more than half in eighth grade. In English language arts, the picture is similar: most grades show proficiency around the midpoint, but eighth grade stands out with a very high rate. Science results, available for grades five and eight, fall around the middle of the range. These figures come from state assessments in grades three through eight; no high school test results are available in the data, so it is not possible to assess upper-grade academic performance from this source. Families considering the high school years may want to ask the school directly about its course offerings and college or career preparation.

Graduation rate data was not reported, nor was chronic absenteeism. This is common for very small schools where small cohort sizes can affect data reporting. A parent exploring the school should ask about the graduation track record and postsecondary outcomes.

The community of Finn Rock itself has no downtown or commercial core. It is a roadside settlement along the McKenzie Highway, nestled in the Willamette National Forest, with limited services and an auto-dependent daily life. Housing in the area is sparse, and the 2020 fire reshaped the landscape; the dominant trajectory in the region is conservation and restoration rather than new residential development. The McKenzie River Trust has expanded protected land along the river, and large-scale floodplain restoration is ongoing. Home values in the broader area are above the national median, but the housing market is rural and inventory is very limited.

For families who want a small, rural charter school with a strong community identity and a single campus from kindergarten through graduation, McKenzie River Community School offers a clear pathway. The academic record in the tested elementary and middle grades is solid compared with other districts in the county, though upper-grade performance is unmeasured in the available data. The school’s post-fire consolidation into a charter district means it has flexibility in how it operates, which may appeal to families seeking a school that is not bound by traditional district structures. Those looking for a broad range of high school course options or a suburban educational environment will find this school very different from what larger districts offer.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 13 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

326 schools plotted. 10 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 31%

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

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 30%

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

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 42%

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 883%

School 83% · District 83%

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Science

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

This schoolMcKenzie SD 68, 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.