Duniway Middle School, Mcminnville OR

Original Research by School Decision on Duniway Middle School

Duniway Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in McMinnville, part of McMinnville School District 40. The school sits in a community that blends residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and industrial operations. McMinnville functions as the county seat of Yamhill County and anchors a region known for agriculture and winemaking, with hundreds of vineyards in the surrounding Willamette Valley. The downtown Third Street corridor offers tasting rooms and local businesses, and the city is home to Linfield University and the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. The local economy draws on employers ranging from a medical center and a steel recycling mill to the university and the school district itself.

Academically, Duniway Middle School’s state assessment results from the most recent testing year show that the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Yamhill County. This is a meaningful strength in a county-level comparison. Looking at individual subjects, proficiency rates vary by grade. In mathematics, roughly half or more of students in each grade met the state standard, with one grade showing a higher share and another showing a lower share. In English language arts, about half to roughly two-thirds of students across the grades reached proficiency, a solid showing. Science results, available only for eighth grade, were lower. Because only one year of assessment data was available, there is no trend to report yet; a parent may want to ask the school how recent results compare with prior years.

The student body is somewhat diverse, predominantly white with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of other racial groups. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a largely lower-income population. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported, so a parent may want to inquire directly about how the school supports those groups. As a middle school, Duniway does not have a graduation rate, which is typical for this grade band.

The housing market in McMinnville shows home values and rents that are roughly in line with state averages, with modest year-over-year changes. The district brief did not surface recent major changes such as bond measures or curriculum shifts, so the broader context appears stable.

Overall, Duniway Middle School offers a middle grade education in a community with a diverse economy anchored by agriculture, higher education, and manufacturing. Its academic results are comparatively strong among county districts, particularly in English language arts and math, while science proficiency is an area to watch. Families considering this school will find a mid-sized middle school with a notable share of students from lower-income households, set in a city with a clear downtown core and access to cultural and outdoor amenities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 37% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 47% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 45% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 41% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 53% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 56% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Science

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 35% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

This schoolMcMinnville SD 40, 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.