You are trying to relocate from another state and you are trying to figure out…where are the good schools? Probably the most common request I get from buyers looking to relocate to Salem Oregon area is: I want to be in a good school district. With summer coming up, I know many parents are looking to purchase their new home and get situated before school starts.
Now, the definition of good school is subjective but the Oregon Department of Education puts out school report cards every year (in the fall) that grade each school from Low, Satisfactory, Strong, or Exceptional. They look at several criteria in making the decision about how to grade a school. The nice thing about the report cards is that they allow parents to compare schools on a somewhat “apples to apples” platform since the same criteria are used for all schools.
I always recommend to parents to look at the history of grades for a school as well. Some schools show a long history of strong ratings. These schools tend to be in neighborhoods that hold their real estate values well and are stable.
Having some concrete data can help you narrow down your choices about where to purchase your next home here in the Salem Oregon area.
On the pull down menu on the ODE site you can go to
- Salem-Keizer (24J) for information about these schools
- Silver Falls SD for Silverton/Mt. Angel schools
- Cascade SD for Aumsville, Stayton, and Turner areas
- Central SD for Monmouth-Independence
Also remember that some schools have a very strong staff, so even if you can’t move to one of the “best” school areas, look at the last couple of ratings to see if there is a pretty strong school in the area you are looking. Sometimes a school can have a change in principal or staffing and it may be moving towards the stability and quality that you are looking for.
I agree Rebekah. There are some schools that only got satisfactory ratings, but a new principal has gotten them strong to exceptional ratings. The history and trending is very important. There are also neighborhoods that have shown improvement and are “up and coming.” You’ll see this in school grades as well.