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What do students at McKay High School actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,380
High
DISTRICT 1,588 · STATE 630
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SALEM-KEIZER SD 24J·NCES 411082001296
McKay High School
2440 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem, OR 97305 · (503) 399-3080 · Marion County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,380 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 3% of Oregon public high schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Oregon public high schools
Student : Teacher
24.7:1
96 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.6:1 · STATE 19.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
90%
2,147 students
DISTRICT 89% · STATE 76%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 620 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 585 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 623 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 552 | 23% |
Student demographics
43%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 59% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
OSAS 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
12.3%
OR avg 43.0% . -6.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the OSAS, Oregon's statewide test, about 12 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level. The Oregon average is about 43 of 100. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2023.
OSAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 12.3% | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 18.3% | 7.4% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: OSAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of OR schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
12.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
27.6%
based on OR schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-15.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 12% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 28% typical for Oregon schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like McKay High School
McKay High School's state test result (12.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKay High School this school | 2,380 | 90.2% | 12.4% |
| North Salem High School Salem | 2,107 | 89.3% | 17.1% |
| Hermiston High School Hermiston | 1,705 | 91.8% | 36.2% |
| Forest Grove High School Forest Grove | 1,849 | 78.8% | 33.4% |
| Ontario High School Ontario | 709 | 100.0% | 23.1% |
| Woodburn High School Woodburn | 1,606 | 72.4% | 20.5% |
Matched among Oregon high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where McKay High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Oregon | In Marion County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 12.4% | #175 of 177 | #13 of 13 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 7.4% | #178 of 194 | #12 of 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 12.3% | #197 of 201 ▼ 8 | #14 of 15 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,380 | #4 of 257 | #1 of 20 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 24.7:1 | #156 of 171 | #13 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 43.1% | #108 of 171 | #11 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 90.2% | #46 of 207 | #4 of 16 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.4% | #98 of 102 | #7 of 9 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,380
+50 (+2%) vs 2020
+51% since 1990-91, when it was 1,573
Student : Teacher
24.7:1
was 25.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,380 | 96.4 | 24.7:1 | 90% (2,147) |
| 2023-24 | 2,299 | 100.7 | 22.8:1 | 68% (1,558) |
| 2022-23 | 2,311 | 105.1 | 22.0:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 2,330 | 91 | 25.6:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 2,415 | 100.2 | 24.1:1 | 79% (1,910) |
| 2015-16 | 2,317 | 96 | 24.1:1 | 83% (1,923) |
| 2010-11 | 1,837 | 88 | 20.9:1 | 81% (1,490) |
| 2000-01 | 1,886 | 82 | 23.0:1 | 41% (775) |
| 1990-91 | 1,573 | 70 | 22.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McKay High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (2,415 to 2,380); teachers down 4% (100.2 to 96.4).
About McKay High School
McKay High School is a large high school in Salem, Oregon. School enrollment was 2,380 students in 2024-25, in grades 9 through 12. For comparison, high schools in Oregon average about 630 students.
Enrollment across the 65 schools in Salem-Keizer SD 24J totals 37,776 students.
At McKay High School, Hispanic students make up 74% of the student body. The remaining shares are 15% White, 5% Pacific Islander, 3% Asian, and 3% multiracial. Marion County as a whole is about 29% Hispanic, so the school's share is higher. McKay High School's diversity index is 43%, against a US figure of 70%.
Teacher staffing is 96.4 full-time equivalents, or about 24.7 students per teacher. On average, high schools in Oregon have 19.8:1, compared with 24.7:1 here. About 90% of students, or 2,147, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Measured against Oregon public high schools, McKay High School receives an F. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
BeatsExpectations places McKay High School in the bottom 10% of Oregon schools. The measure fits a line through proficiency and free or reduced-price lunch share for each state, and this school sits 15.2 points below it (12.4% actual, 27.6% predicted).
Across Marion County, the median household income is $77,351, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. In all, Marion County has 111 public schools and roughly 53,799 students.
Swegle Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles away. The five-mile area around McKay High School holds at least 8 other public schools. McKay High School ranks 5th of 8 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 12.4% against a local average of 13.5%.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as City: Mid-size, meaning it is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment went from 2,330 in 2020-21 to 2,380 in 2024-25, a change of 50 students.
Community posts for McKay High School can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Marion County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
349,244
Census ACS
Median income
$77,351
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
111
53,799 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Salem-Keizer SD 24J
- South Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,195 students
- North Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,107 students
- McNary High SchoolHigh · 1,995 students
- Sprague High SchoolHigh · 1,712 students
- West Salem High SchoolHigh · 1,606 students
- Stephens Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,014 students
Other schools in Salem
- South Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,195 students
- North Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,107 students
- Sprague High SchoolHigh · 1,712 students
- West Salem High SchoolHigh · 1,606 students
- Stephens Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,014 students
- Waldo Middle SchoolMiddle · 997 students
Nearby schools
- Swegle Elementary School0.5 mi · 496
- Scott Elementary School0.9 mi · 464
- Cesar E Chavez Elementary0.9 mi · 464
- Waldo Middle School1.0 mi · 997
- Washington Elementary School1.0 mi · 365
- Hoover Elementary School1.2 mi · 402
Frequently asked questions
About McKay High SchoolHow large is McKay High School?
McKay High School enrolls approximately 2,380 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does McKay High School serve?
McKay High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at McKay High School?
Approximately 24.7:1 students per teacher at McKay High School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at McKay High School?
At McKay High School, the student body is approximately 15% White, 74% Hispanic, 1% Black, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees McKay High School?
McKay High School is overseen by Salem-Keizer SD 24J in Marion County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.