Best Public Schools in Albany, OR

The city of Albany, Oregon is home to 21 schools in the Greater Albany Public School District 8J, including 12 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 5 high schools. The district is ranked 67 out of 140 districts in Oregon and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Several standout schools emerge from the data, including Oak Grove Elementary School, which consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state with a 5-star rating and significantly higher proficiency rates than the district and state averages. West Albany High School is the highest-ranked high school in the district, ranking 17th out of 268 Oregon high schools, with impressive proficiency rates. North Albany Middle School is the highest-ranked middle school in the district, ranking 75th out of 371 Oregon middle schools, with strong performance across all subject areas.

The data also reveals significant performance gaps between the highest-performing and lowest-performing schools, both within the district and compared to state averages. There appears to be a correlation between socioeconomic status, as measured by free and reduced lunch rates, and student proficiency, with the schools with the highest poverty rates generally performing the worst. However, the wide range in spending per student does not seem to directly correlate with student performance, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be a silver bullet for improving outcomes.