The top reported proficiency rate is 18% 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 in Woodburn, Oregon, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of four elementary schools in the Woodburn School District and sits on the east side of town near Lincoln Street. The school’s enrollment is substantial for an elementary building, with a student population that is overwhelmingly Hispanic or Latino. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the community it serves. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the sources reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its special education and language support programs.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year place Washington Elementary’s overall proficiency well below the midpoint among districts in Marion County. In English language arts, the combined proficiency rate across tested grades was low, with fourth and fifth graders showing modestly higher performance than third graders, whose results were too few to report. In math, proficiency rates were also low across all three tested grades. In fifth-grade science, the proficiency rate was similarly low. These results place the school in the bottom quarter of the county’s districts when measured by overall proficiency across subjects and grades. Because the data covers only a single year, it is not possible to see whether these scores represent a trend or a starting point. A parent investigating the school will want to discuss with the administration what academic interventions and supports are in place and how the school is working to raise achievement.
The school operates as a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet. It does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and discipline or attendance figures were not available in the data provided.
Woodburn itself is a fast-growing city in the northern Willamette Valley, situated along the I-5 corridor between Portland and Salem. It has a significant agricultural heritage, with nursery businesses and berry farming still prominent, and the Woodburn Premium Outlets provides a major retail draw. The city’s population has grown rapidly in recent years, and the school-age population reflects that growth. The community is predominantly Hispanic or Latino, and the annual Fiesta Mexicana is a major cultural event. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to state benchmarks, and the median household income is below state averages, with a notable share of residents in poverty.
The Woodburn School District has undergone organizational changes in recent years, including the consolidation of its high school back to a single model, but no recent major changes at the elementary level were identified in publicly available sources. Washington Elementary’s own program offerings were not detailed in the data reviewed. Families considering the school should visit, ask about the curriculum, and learn how the school supports students who are learning English or who need extra academic help. The school’s location in a growing and diverse community gives it a clear role, but the testing data points to significant academic challenges that warrant a close look.
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