The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elementary School
Jefferson Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Medford, Oregon, as a regular public school within the Medford School District. The school is located in a city that functions as the primary commercial, healthcare, and government hub for the Rogue Valley. Medford’s economy is anchored by two major medical centers, the corporate headquarters of Harry & David and Lithia Motors, and a growing wine industry, while its built environment mixes a traditional downtown with sprawling suburban retail corridors off Interstate 5.
The student body is diverse in its composition. White students make up the largest share, followed by a substantial Hispanic population, and small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. A significant majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with considerable economic need.
On Oregon’s state assessments, Jefferson Elementary shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates vary by grade, with the highest performance among fifth graders and lower rates in the earlier grades. The school’s combined ELA proficiency sits below the midpoint compared to other schools in the district, reflecting an area where families may want to look into the school’s specific literacy support. Math proficiency is lower across all tested grades, with third graders performing somewhat better than fifth graders, who show the weakest math results. Science results, tested only in fifth grade, also trail behind. When compared to other elementary schools relative to the broader set of districts in Jackson County, Jefferson Elementary’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile. That ranking should be interpreted with caution, as it compares the school against a wide range of districts that include many smaller and rural ones, not just the Medford district.
The school operates solely as a K-5 building, so there is no graduation rate to report and no data on chronic absenteeism or high school course access. Information on special education and English learner populations was not available in the data provided. A parent seeking details on these supports would need to ask the school directly.
The Medford School District, of which Jefferson Elementary is a part, recently passed a bond for safety upgrades, classroom additions, and technology improvements, funded in a way that kept the property tax rate stable by replacing expiring levy debt. The district also implemented stricter cell phone policies for middle and high school students, though this does not apply to Jefferson’s elementary grades.
Housing in the area around the school is moderately priced relative to the state, with home values roughly in line with the national median. Rents have been rising at a pace similar to the national trend, and the local mortgage-versus-rent math tilts toward renting for a typical household. The broader Medford economy has been stable, with an unemployment rate near the national average and median household income growth that has kept pace with inflation in recent years. The city has a history of rapid growth, having been one of the fastest-growing places in the country during the early 20th century orchard boom, and today it continues to function as the region’s retail and medical center.
For a family considering Jefferson Elementary, the school offers a neighborhood setting within a mid-sized city that serves as a regional hub. The academic results suggest that the school performs around the middle of the pack when set against the wider Jackson County field, though within the Medford district the numbers point to soft spots in math that a parent would want to understand better by visiting and talking to teachers. The student body is economically diverse, with a strong majority of families eligible for income-based meal support, and the school draws primarily from the surrounding residential neighborhoods of Medford’s southern side.
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