Willagillespie Elementary School

Willagillespie Elementary School is an average-sized elementary school in Eugene, Oregon, run under Eugene SD 4J. The school caters to 427 students in grades K through 5. That puts it 33% bigger than the typical public school in Oregon, which averages around 321 students.

Eugene SD 4J comprises 36 schools with combined enrollment of 15,712 students; Willagillespie Elementary School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Willagillespie Elementary School reports that the largest single group is White, at 69% of enrollment; the rest reads as 13% Hispanic, 12% multiracial, 3% Black, 2% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 81% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Willagillespie Elementary School has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.2:1. The state averages about 16.5:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 64% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Lane County (around 76%), the school's rate is south of typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Willagillespie Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 37.6%; this one delivers 40.1%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Lane County put median household income runs about $71,544, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. In all, Lane County runs 117 public schools (combined enrollment of about 42,240 students), of which Willagillespie Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Buena Vista Elementary School, roughly 1.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Willagillespie Elementary School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 30.4%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 18%: 521 students in 2018 compared to 427 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 73% to 69%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 20.0:1 in 2018 to 17.2:1 today.

On this page, members of the Willagillespie Elementary School community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.