Pringle Elementary School, Salem OR

Original Research by School Decision on Pringle Elementary School

Pringle Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Salem, Oregon, as part of the Salem-Keizer School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The student body is diverse: roughly half the students are white, about a quarter are Hispanic, and smaller shares are Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families in the attendance zone have lower household incomes.

State test results are available for the most recent school year. Across tested grades, a modest proportion of students met proficiency benchmarks in math and English language arts. In science, which is assessed only in fifth grade, the share was similarly modest. When compared with districts across Marion County, where the school is located, overall academic performance placed Pringle in the bottom quartile. This pattern may give a parent pause and is worth exploring further with the school, especially to understand what instructional supports are in place.

The school enrollment is moderate for an elementary school. Its grade structure is straightforward: kindergarten through fifth grade, so no transition to middle school within the building. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing were available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those topics.

Salem itself is Oregon’s state capital and second-largest city, a mix of government offices, a public university, food processing industries, and residential neighborhoods. The city sits in the center of the Willamette Valley and is bisected by the Willamette River. Major employers include the state government, Salem Health, and the school district itself. The city has grown steadily, and the area has seen commercial and industrial development along the Interstate 5 corridor.

The Salem-Keizer district has undergone several recent changes that affect school families. Voters approved a significant construction bond in 2022, funding safety and security upgrades and classroom improvements across all schools, though it also raised property taxes. More recently, the district faced budget shortfalls and voted to close several elementary schools in 2023 and 2024, which reshaped attendance boundaries and commutes for some neighborhoods. In 2025, the school board adopted a new three-year strategic plan focusing on academic excellence, belonging, and workforce readiness, which will guide district priorities through 2028.

Housing in the area around Pringle reflects a typical market for the region, with home values and rents roughly in line with state averages. The area is largely car-dependent outside the downtown core, with major highways connecting Salem to Portland and Eugene.

For families considering Pringle, the school offers a neighborhood elementary experience in a mid-sized setting. The academic proficiency numbers are on the lower side when placed against other Marion County districts, and district-level budget pressures have led to school closures and boundary adjustments in recent years. A parent would likely want to speak with school staff about how the building is responding to these challenges and what programs are available to support student learning.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 26% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 23% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 19% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 25% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 27% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 20% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolSalem-Keizer SD 24J, 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.