The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Parrish Middle School
Parrish Middle School, in the Salem-Keizer School District, is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in central Salem. It is located on Capitol Street NE, a short distance from the Oregon State Capitol and the historic downtown core, placing students within walking distance of the civic and cultural heart of the state capital. The school sits in a mixed urban and residential area, and the surrounding neighborhood reflects the broader city’s blend of government employment, food-processing industries, and established housing stock.
The student body at Parrish is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share of enrollment, followed by white students, and smaller numbers of students who are two or more races, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a significant portion of the student population comes from households with lower incomes. The school’s enrollment is evenly distributed across the three middle school grades, with just over two hundred students in each level, creating a total enrollment that is moderate for a middle school.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show that Parrish Middle School’s proficiency rates are below average relative to other districts across Marion County. In English language arts, proficiency rates were highest in grade six, with lower rates in seventh and eighth grade. Math proficiency rates were lower still, declining slightly from grade six through eight. Science, which is tested only in eighth grade, also had a low proficiency rate overall. The school’s combined performance across all tested subjects and grades placed it in the bottom quartile when compared with other schools serving these grade levels among the county’s districts. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports and interventions are in place.
The district context matters for understanding the environment at Parrish. Salem-Keizer voters approved a major construction bond in 2022 that funds safety upgrades, classroom improvements, and construction projects across all schools, and this bond increased property taxes. More recently, the district has faced budget shortfalls and has closed several elementary schools, which has shifted attendance boundaries. In 2025, the school board approved a three-year strategic plan focusing on academic excellence, belonging, and workforce readiness, which will guide district priorities through the end of the decade. These district-level decisions directly affect the resources and stability that Parrish Middle School can draw on.
The school’s location in central Salem provides students with access to the amenities of a state capital, including Riverfront Park along the Willamette River, the main public library, and Willamette University just a short distance away. The city is largely car-dependent outside the downtown core, and major thoroughfares such as Interstate 5 and Oregon Route 22 run nearby, making Parrish accessible by vehicle from across the Salem area. Housing values in the general zip code area are in the lower range for the state, and rents are moderate, which is consistent with the school’s demographic profile of serving a lower-income share of the population.
Parrish Middle School offers a regular educational program for its grade band, without specialized magnet or charter designations. Information about specific course offerings, electives, or after-school programming was not available in the data, and neither were detailed discipline or attendance records, chronic absenteeism rates, or staffing ratios. These are gaps that a family would want to fill by contacting the school directly or visiting in person. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The available testing data provides a starting point for understanding the school’s academic standing, but it is a thin picture, and a parent should expect to be proactive in learning more about the day-to-day experience.
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