schoolsbycounty

Wheeler County Schools & Education

School Score

0/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

33.6%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

33.6%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 82.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$4,865

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,886

School Score

0/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 41/100

State Score Position

#36

of 36 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Wheeler County

Measured School Summary

Wheeler County faces educational challenges with a school score of 0/100 and a graduation rate of 33.6%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $4,865 per pupil, Wheeler County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 99% below the Oregon average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 48.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 38% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Wheeler 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

3 public schools and 3 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

0/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #36 of 36 Oregon counties with school score data.

Completion

33.6%

48.7 pts below the state average

Funding context

$4,865

$3,021 below the state average

School coverage

3

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Wheeler County has 3 public schools across 3 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.

Parent decision brief

What Wheeler 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.

Dominant-district county

Mitchell SD 55 carries most of the listed public-school system, with 4 of 3 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#36

of 36 Oregon counties with school score data. The county score is 41 points below 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.

Fossil SD 21J

Other grade structure

1,778 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

Spray SD 1

Other grade structure

65 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

Mitchell SD 55

Other grade structure

37 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Mitchell SD 55 is the largest listed district slice, with 4 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 Wheeler County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Wheeler County district systems?

Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?

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

Wheeler County Graduation Rates and School Structures Differ From State

Education data brief for Wheeler County, Oregon.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:Graduation rate

Wheeler County reports a graduation rate of 33.6%, a figure significantly below the Oregon state average of 82.3% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. The county's educational landscape is composed entirely of three "other" category schools serving 1,880 students, with no traditional standalone elementary, middle, or high schools. Fossil Charter School is the largest entity, enrolling 1,778 students and representing a 33.3% charter presence in the county. Per-pupil expenditure is recorded at $4,865, which is roughly $3,000 less than the state average and $8,135 below the national average of $13,000. All schools in the county are classified as rural. The composite school score of 0.4 is the lowest in the state and remains far below the national median of 50.0. Refer to the NCES directory for specific school classification definitions.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

3

in Wheeler County

Reported Enrollment

1,880

3 schools reporting

School Districts

3

districts

Charter Schools

1

33% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary0
Middle0
High0
Other3

3 School Districts in Wheeler County

Fossil SD 21J

1 school
1,778 students

Mitchell SD 55

4 schools
1,027 students

Spray SD 1

1 school
65 students

3 Public Schools in Wheeler County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Level

Showing 3 of 3 matching schools

Fossil Charter School

Fossil SD 21J

Fossil, 97830 / Rural: Remote

ProfileKG–12Charter1,778 students

Spray School

Spray SD 1

Spray, 97874 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–12Other65 students

Mitchell School

Mitchell SD 55

Mitchell, 97750 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–12Other37 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$4,865

State avg $7,886

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Wheeler County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Oregon counties have the highest graduation rates?
Hood River County (92.0%), Morrow County (91.8%), and Lake County (91.0%) currently lead Oregon among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.
What is per-pupil spending like in Oregon?
Across Oregon counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,886. The highest current county values are Wallowa County ($10,680), Gilliam County ($10,676), and Grant County ($10,655). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.
How should I read the school score in Wheeler County?
Wheeler County has a school score of 0/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.
What is the graduation rate in Wheeler County?
The high school graduation rate in Wheeler County is 33.6%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.
How much does Wheeler County spend per student?
Wheeler County spends $4,865 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.