The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Douglas Gardens Elementary School
Douglas Gardens Elementary School sits in the southeast portion of Springfield, Oregon, a city that has steadily diversified beyond its timber-industry roots into healthcare and technology. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Springfield School District, which operates a broad network of elementary, middle, and high schools across the community. For a parent or resident trying to understand what this particular school offers, the picture that emerges from the available data is one of a solid elementary option with performance that places it comfortably above many of its peers in Lane County, even as some academic areas show room for growth.
The school's student body is modest in size for an elementary school, drawing from a surrounding area that is a mix of single-family homes and more rural stretches toward Jasper Road. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a significant portion of families face economic pressures. Racially, the student population is predominantly white, with a meaningful Hispanic presence and smaller shares of students who identify as multiracial or belonging to other racial groups. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records examined, which is a gap a family may want to explore directly with the school to understand the full range of support services.
On state assessments, Douglas Gardens posts a mixed but largely encouraging set of results. In English language arts, proficiency among third graders is at a level that would be considered solid, with fourth graders still above the midpoint and fifth graders a bit lower, though still within a reasonable range. Math results show a steeper grade-level slide: third graders perform at a notably high level, fourth graders drop to around half proficient, and fifth graders fall below one third proficient. Science, tested only at fifth grade, shows roughly one third of students meeting the bar. When these subjects and grades are combined into an overall proficiency index, the school ranks in the top quartile relative to district peers in Lane County. That is a meaningful distinction, as it places Douglas Gardens among the stronger-performing elementary schools in the broader county area, even if the absolute proficiency rates in upper-elementary math and science are not as high as a family might hope.
There is no multi-year trend data available to see whether these scores are improving or declining over time, only a single year of results. A parent with a child approaching the upper elementary grades may want to ask the school specifically about math instruction and support in grades four and five, where the drop-off is most apparent. Similarly, the fifth-grade science results merit a conversation about how the school prepares students for that assessment.
The community context is worth noting for families new to the area. Springfield is a mid-sized city whose economy has broadened, with healthcare now the largest employer and a growing technology sector. The city recognizes several distinct neighborhood areas, and the school's location on Jasper Road places it on the southeastern edge, closer to rural land than to the downtown core. Housing values in the zip code are moderate relative to Oregon as a whole, and rents have been rising gradually, which may matter for families weighing the cost of living against school quality. The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and the district's online presence did not reveal any major recent changes such as bond measures or curriculum overhauls that would alter the basic picture of what a family can expect.
For a family whose priority is a solid neighborhood elementary with academic performance that compares well within its county, Douglas Gardens offers a strong core. The early-grade literacy and third-grade math numbers are clear positives. The softening of math scores in the upper grades is a soft spot, and a parent should inquire about how the school addresses that transition. The school's economic profile means that a portion of families may qualify for additional support programs. Overall, this is a school where a child is likely to receive a good foundational education in a community that has been working to rebuild and diversify its economy, with the data suggesting the school is pulling its weight within that effort.
See more original research from School Decision →