Academy for Character Education, Cottage Grove OR

Original Research by School Decision on Academy for Character Education

The Academy for Character Education is a charter school in Cottage Grove serving all grades from kindergarten through twelfth. It is classified as a regular public school and operates within the South Lane School District. The school’s stated academic focus is implied by its name, though the available data does not detail a specific character education curriculum or program offerings. Because it is a charter, families choose to enroll, and the school operates with some autonomy from the district’s standard programming.

The student body is small for a K-12 school and predominantly white. The school’s demographics show that a modest share of students are of Hispanic background or identify as two or more races, with small numbers of Asian, American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its support for these groups.

On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, the Academy for Character Education’s overall proficiency across math, English language arts, and science falls in the top quartile relative to other districts in Lane County. This indicates that, as a school, it performs well compared with the broader county. Within that overall figure, the English language arts results are stronger than the math results across most grade levels. In elementary grades, roughly half of students met the proficiency bar in reading and writing, and the share rose above that midpoint in the middle grades. In math, the pattern is more mixed; about two out of every five students scored proficient across the elementary and middle grades tested, with some variation by grade. Science results are available for grades five and eight. State testing data was reported for the school year, and it appears to be a single year of data, so no trend or trajectory can be described. The available data shows only the current snapshot.

Because the school includes high school grades, a graduation rate is a standard measure for this entity. That figure was not present in the data provided. A parent or guardian with a high school student may want to ask the school for its graduation rate and the pathways it offers toward a diploma. The data also does not include information on Advanced Placement courses, dual credit options, or career and technical education programs. Since the school covers all twelve grades, the range of course offerings at the high school level is a natural question for a family considering this school for an older student. The school website and the South Lane School District office would be the sources for that detail.

Cottage Grove is a small city in the southern Willamette Valley, with a historic downtown and a mix of residential neighborhoods. It sits along Interstate 5 south of Eugene, giving it a somewhat rural feel with access to a metropolitan area. The town has a walkable downtown core, a network of parks and trails, and a set of civic anchors that include museums, a theater, and nearby lakes. The Academy for Character Education is located within the city. Housing in the area shows a typical home value that sits below the state average but above the national average, reflecting regional pressure in the Willamette Valley. The broader South Lane School District, which governs this charter, did not have any recent major changes or strategic initiatives available in the public record at the time of research, so the district-level landscape appears stable but without a visible forward-looking agenda.

For families weighing this school, the draw is a small, character-themed charter that spans all grades in a single building, set in a mid-sized town with outdoor amenities and a defined downtown. The academic picture is strongest in English language arts, and the school’s overall proficiency compares favorably with other Lane County districts. The gaps in the available data, particularly around high school outcomes and program offerings, are worth exploring directly with the school. A family considering this route should confirm how the character education model is actually applied in the classroom and what options exist for students in the upper grades.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 9 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

326 schools plotted. 10 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 40% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 33% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 21% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 18% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 19% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 22% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 39% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 31% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 37% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 28% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 38% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 36% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 18% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 18% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolSouth Lane SD 45J3, 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.