Banks Middle School

Banks Middle School is a cozy 6-8 campus in Banks, Oregon, run under Banks SD 13. The school enrolls 254 students in grades 6 through 8. That puts it 49% below the typical public school in Oregon, which averages around 494 students.

Within Banks SD 13, which oversees 3 schools and 1,081 students, Banks Middle School is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Banks Middle School lists that 82% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder looks like 11% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 64% White, putting the school's mix noticeably more White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Banks Middle School has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 19.3:1, putting Banks Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 75% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Washington County's rate of about 57%.

After controlling for student poverty, Banks Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 24.8%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Washington County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $107,772 per year, roughly 48% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, Washington County runs 136 public schools (combined enrollment of about 79,469 students), of which Banks Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Banks High School, around 0.1 miles off. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Banks Middle School at 8th of 9; the average score across the group is 37.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 9%: 278 students in 2018 compared to 254 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 87% to 82% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 22.7:1 in 2018 to 17.8:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.