The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Brush College Elementary School
Brush College Elementary is a regular public school in the Salem-Keizer district, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits in the West Salem area, which lies in Polk County, one of two counties that the city of Salem spans. The school’s enrollment is modest for its grade band. A substantial share of students come from lower-income households, a factor that can influence a school’s resource needs and academic context.
Academically, the state assessment results from the 2024–2025 school year give a mixed but largely encouraging picture. In English language arts, the proportion of students meeting proficiency standards was around half or more in each tested grade, with fifth graders reaching roughly three in five. Math performance varied more by grade: fourth graders posted notably strong results, while third and fifth graders saw lower proficiency rates. In science, tested only in fifth grade, about one in three students met the standard. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Polk County, meaning it outperforms the median of its county peers on this measure. Only a single year of testing data was available, so no trend can be assessed.
The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic minority and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, Black, Native American, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Information on the share of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners was not reported, so families with specific needs in those areas may wish to follow up directly with the school.
Brush College sits within the Salem-Keizer School District, the second-largest in Oregon. The district has faced notable financial pressures: in 2023, it closed Four Corners Elementary to address a budget shortfall, and in 2024 it closed three more elementary schools. In 2022, voters approved a construction bond that funds safety and security upgrades, classroom improvements, and construction across all district schools, a measure that came with a property tax increase. More recently, in mid-2025, the school board adopted a new three-year strategic plan focused on academic excellence, belonging, and workforce readiness. These district-level decisions shape the operating context for Brush College and may affect school assignment boundaries and resource allocation.
Salem, Oregon’s state capital, blends state government offices, a historic downtown near the Willamette River, a public university campus (Willamette University, adjacent to the capitol), and agricultural food-processing industries. The city is largely car-dependent outside the downtown core, with Interstate 5 and state highways as major routes. The West Salem neighborhood, where Brush College is located, is connected to downtown by bridges across the river and has a suburban residential character. The housing market in the area reflects home values above the national median, consistent with Oregon’s statewide market. Rents have been rising, and the cost of housing relative to income suggests affordability pressures for many households.
For a family considering Brush College Elementary, the evidence points to a school that performs above the county median academically, serves an economically diverse student body, and operates within a large district that has recently navigated budget cuts and approved a significant capital investment. The lack of data on special education and English learner enrollment is a gap worth exploring with the school directly. The school’s setting in West Salem offers a suburban feel within a mid-sized capital city with government and food-processing anchors.
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