Union County Schools & Education
Union County, Oregon
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
54/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
88.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
88.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 82.3%
Per-Pupil Spending
$8,326
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,886
School Score
54/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 41/100
State Score Position
#9
of 36 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Union County
Measured School Summary
Union County performs at an average level with a school score of 54/100 and a solid graduation rate of 88.0%.
Funding Context
Union County spends $8,326 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 32% above the Oregon average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 5.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Union County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
13 public schools and 6 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
54/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #9 of 36 Oregon counties with school score data.
Completion
88.0%
5.7 pts above the state average
Funding context
$8,326
$440 above the state average
School coverage
13
6 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Union County has 13 public schools across 6 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Union County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Choice-program county
Union County has a visible charter, magnet, or virtual-school layer in NCES records. The practical question is eligibility, lottery timing, and transportation, not just whether a school appears nearby.
State position
#9
of 36 Oregon counties with school score data. The county score is 13 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
La Grande SD 1
Elementary to high school visible
2,088 students
5 listed schools in this county slice.
Elgin SD 23
Elementary and high visible
405 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
Union SD 5
Elementary and high visible
376 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
Imbler SD 11
Other grade structure
300 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
District reality check
La Grande SD 1 is the largest listed district slice, with 5 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Union County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Union County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Charter Schools Comprise Nearly One-Quarter of Union County Schools
Education data brief for Union County, Oregon.
Union County features a notable concentration of charter schools, which make up 23.1% of its 13 public institutions. This includes Imbler Charter School and Cove Charter School, both of which serve approximately 300 students each. Total enrollment for the county is 3,745, with La Grande SD 1 serving as the largest district with 2,088 students across five schools. The graduation rate of 88.0% is higher than both the Oregon average of 82.3% and the national average of 87.0%. The county’s composite school score of 54.1 also exceeds the state average of 41.0 and the national median of 50.0. Spending per pupil is $8,326, which is $440 above the state average but below the national benchmark of $13,000. Eight of the county's schools are located in rural areas. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
13
in Union County
Reported Enrollment
3,745
13 schools reporting
School Districts
6
districts
Charter Schools
3
23% of total
School Level Breakdown
6 School Districts in Union County
La Grande SD 1
Elgin SD 23
Union SD 5
Imbler SD 11
Cove SD 15
North Powder SD 8J
13 Public Schools in Union County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 13 of 13 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Grande High School | Record | La Grande SD 1 | La Grande, 97850Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 647 |
| La Grande Middle School | Record | La Grande SD 1 | La Grande, 97850Town: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 480 |
| Central Elementary School | Record | La Grande SD 1 | La Grande, 97850Town: Remote | KG–5 | Primary | 419 |
| Imbler Charter School | Record | Imbler SD 11 | Imbler, 97841Rural: Distant | KG–12 | Charter | 300 |
| Cove Charter School | Record | Cove SD 15 | Cove, 97824Rural: Remote | KG–12 | Charter | 298 |
| Island City Elementary School | Record | La Grande SD 1 | Island City, 97850Town: Remote | KG–5 | Primary | 286 |
| North Powder Charter School | Record | North Powder SD 8J | North Powder, 97867Rural: Remote | KG–12 | Charter | 273 |
| Greenwood Elementary School | Record | La Grande SD 1 | La Grande, 97850Town: Remote | KG–5 | Primary | 256 |
| Stella Mayfield Elementary School | Record | Elgin SD 23 | Elgin, 97827Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 234 |
| Union Elementary School | Record | Union SD 5 | Union, 97883Rural: Remote | KG–6 | Primary | 206 |
| Elgin High School | Record | Elgin SD 23 | Elgin, 97827Rural: Remote | 7–12 | High | 171 |
| Union High School | Record | Union SD 5 | Union, 97883Rural: Remote | 7–12 | High | 170 |
| RiverBend High School | Record | ODE YCEP District | La Grande, 97850Rural: Distant | 9–12 | High | 5 |
Island City Elementary School
La Grande SD 1
Island City, 97850 / Town: Remote
North Powder Charter School
North Powder SD 8J
North Powder, 97867 / Rural: Remote
Greenwood Elementary School
La Grande SD 1
La Grande, 97850 / Town: Remote
Stella Mayfield Elementary School
Elgin SD 23
Elgin, 97827 / Rural: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$8,326
State avg $7,886
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Union County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.