Helen Baller Elem, Camas WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Helen Baller Elem

Helen Baller Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Camas, a rapidly growing city in Clark County that has transformed from a mill town into a hub for high-tech and financial services employers. The school is one of several elementary campuses in the Camas School District, which is itself a top local employer. The surrounding housing market is expensive, reflecting the area’s affluent suburban character, and the city has seen substantial population growth over the past two decades.

On the state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Helen Baller’s results placed it among the strongest elementary schools in the county when compared to other districts’ proficiency rates across tested subjects. The school’s combined proficiency index landed in the top quartile relative to districts in Clark County, a notably high position. In English language arts, the share of students meeting the state standard was solid across grades three through five, with fourth graders posting a particularly high proficiency rate. In math, proficiency was also strong overall, though a drop-off was visible in fifth grade, where the rate fell noticeably from the levels seen in third and fourth grades. Fifth-grade science results were moderate, with a majority of students meeting the standard but a sizable share not. Because this is the only year of data available, it is not possible to say whether these results reflect a stable pattern or a single year’s picture.

The student body is predominantly white, with the largest minority groups being students who identify as two or more races and Hispanic students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is on the lower side for the region and consistent with the community’s overall affluence. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a parent interested in special education or English language support services would want to follow up directly with the school.

The broader district context matters for understanding the pressures the school may face. Camas voters passed a three-year levy in 2024 that funds daily operations including staffing and extracurriculars, but a separate capital bond for school construction and renovations has failed twice at the ballot box, most recently in early 2025. The district projects enrollment will continue to grow, and without bond funding, planned projects including a new elementary school remain unbuilt. This means families may see continued crowding at the elementary level, and the district will need to find another path to address capacity.

Camas itself offers a historic downtown with shops and restaurants, civic anchors such as Lacamas Lake and a public library, and a shifting economic base as the paper mill that once dominated the town winds down operations, with redevelopment of the mill site into waterfront space planned. The city’s character is suburban and car-dependent outside the downtown core, and many residents commute into the Portland metro area.

For a family considering Helen Baller, the data shows an elementary school with strong academic results that place it well above average in its county context, set within an affluent, growing suburb where the school district is facing facility constraints that the community has not yet resolved through a bond. The school’s high proficiency rates, particularly in early elementary literacy, are a clear strength, while the math dip in fifth grade is a soft spot a parent may want to ask about. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations limits the picture for families who need those services.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 77% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 75% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 66% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 77% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 489%

School 89% · District 79% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 74% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Science

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 76% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolCamas School District, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income42%Higher-income83%40 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income77%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income83%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income61%8 pp gap