The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elementary School
Washington Elementary School is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Salem, Oregon, part of the Salem-Keizer School District. The school sits in a residential neighborhood on the northeast side of the city, in Marion County. Salem itself is Oregon’s state capital and second-largest city, a blend of state government offices, a major hospital, food-processing industries, and a mix of older residential areas and commercial corridors. The school is located away from the downtown core, in an area of the city that is car-dependent and suburban in character.
The student body is large for an elementary school serving only kindergarten through fifth, and it is notably diverse. The majority of students are Hispanic, with smaller shares of white students and students of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander background. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a higher-poverty context. Data on the share of students with disabilities or who are English learners was not available in the source material, though a parent may wish to follow up with the school on those figures.
State assessment results for the 2024-2025 school year show that the share of students scoring proficient in math was low across tested grades, and the trend line shows a single year of data, so no direction can be determined. In English language arts, results were similarly low in grades four and five; for third grade, the state reported a range rather than a precise figure, indicating that the count of proficient students was suppressed, which often happens when few students meet the bar. In fifth-grade science, proficiency was very low. When the school’s overall proficiency is compared against all other districts in Marion County, Washington Elementary falls in the bottom quartile. A parent looking at these results should weigh them carefully and ask the school what targeted supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Other metrics such as chronic absenteeism were also not available in the data provided.
The larger district context matters. Salem-Keizer voters approved a large construction bond in 2022 that funds safety and security improvements, classroom upgrades, and construction projects across all schools, which will affect Washington Elementary over time. At the same time, the district has faced budget shortfalls and has closed several elementary schools in recent years to balance its budget. These closures shift attendance boundaries and may affect which families attend Washington Elementary in the future. The district also adopted a new three-year strategic plan in mid-2025 focused on academic excellence, belonging, and workforce readiness, which will guide resource allocation through 2028.
Housing in the school’s zip code is priced around the middle of the state’s range, with rents rising over the past year. The national mortgage rate climate means buying in the area is a significant expense relative to local incomes. The local unemployment rate has been stable near the national average.
Washington Elementary offers a standard elementary program with no charter or magnet designation and no reported Title I status in the data provided. It is a neighborhood school serving a community with high economic need and very low measured academic performance on state assessments. A family considering this school should visit, ask about reading and math intervention programs, English learner supports, and how the school’s staff are working to raise achievement. The school’s size, diverse student body, and location in a stable but modest-income part of Salem are straightforward characteristics. The academic numbers are a soft spot that warrants direct conversation with the school principal or a tour of classrooms.
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