Big Muddy Elementary

Big Muddy Elementary is one of the micro-enrollment primary schools in Antelope, Oregon, one of the schools within Jefferson County SD 509J, with 3 students on its rolls from grades K through 8. By comparison, Oregon's public schools average about 321 students each, so Big Muddy Elementary sits 99% below that benchmark.

Jefferson County SD 509J comprises 9 schools with combined enrollment of 2,712 students; Big Muddy Elementary is among them.

On demographics, Big Muddy Elementary reports that 100% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. By comparison, Wasco County as a whole is about 75% White, so the school skews considerably more White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Big Muddy Elementary records 1 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 3.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.5:1, putting Big Muddy Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm.

Around the school, census data for Wasco County shows median household income runs about $64,175, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Wasco County's 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,407 students), Big Muddy Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Fossil Charter School, roughly 17.6 miles away.

The school occupies a rural site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 86%: 21 students in 2018 compared to 3 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share grew from 86% to 100%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 10.5:1 in 2018 to 3.0:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Big Muddy Elementary typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.