Waldo Middle School, Salem OR - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Waldo Middle School

Waldo Middle School is a regular public school in Salem, Oregon, serving grades six through eight. It is a large middle school for its grade band, drawing students from the northeastern part of the city within the Salem-Keizer School District. The school sits in an established residential area on Lansing Avenue, a short distance from the Willamette River and the downtown core. Salem itself blends state government functions, food-processing industries, and residential neighborhoods; it is car-dependent outside the downtown, and the middle school is accessible via major arterials.

State assessment results from the most recent year show proficiency rates that place Waldo in the bottom quartile among districts in Marion County for overall academic performance. On the English language arts exams, roughly one in four students met the state standard, with slight variation across grades. Math proficiency was lower, around one in seven students meeting the bar, and in eighth-grade science about one in six tested proficient. These are single-year figures with no prior trend to compare against, so it is not possible to see whether performance is moving in any direction. A parent may want to ask the school about academic supports and recent improvement efforts. Because Waldo is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available in the record.

The student body is diverse and economically disadvantaged. A large majority of students identify as Hispanic, with smaller shares identifying as white, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Asian or multiracial. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that poverty is a significant factor in the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided, so the full picture of specialized populations is incomplete.

Waldo is part of the Salem-Keizer district, which has faced recent financial pressures. The district closed several elementary schools in 2023 and 2024 to address budget shortfalls, and in 2025 it approved a new three-year strategic plan focused on academic excellence, belonging, and workforce readiness. A major construction bond was approved by voters in 2022, funding safety and security improvements across all district schools. These district-level changes may affect resources and programming at the middle school level. Housing in the area near Waldo reflects typical affordability constraints for the region: home values are moderately below the state benchmark, and rents are similarly positioned, with the overall market showing a slight year-over-year decline in values.

For a family considering Waldo, the school offers a large, diverse peer environment in an urban setting. Academic proficiency rates are low relative to other schools in the county, which is a fact worth investigating further with the school. The district is investing in capital improvements and has laid out new academic priorities, but it has also been cutting buildings and programs. A parent who values a school that serves a wide socioeconomic and cultural mix may find Waldo a fitting option, while those prioritizing higher measured achievement may want to explore supplementary academic support or alternative schools in the area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 22% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 23% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 23% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 34% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 36% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 37% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 22% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below 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.