Three Douglas County school districts tied at C− in Niche’s latest county evaluations, receiving the lowest overall letter grade among the districts listed.
The 2027 evaluations put them on equal footing, but their local stories differ. One district is asking voters to fund substantial campus changes, while state and district reports elsewhere show academic progress alongside persistent gaps.
The three districts appear alphabetically below because their overall grades are identical.
Glide School District — Overall Niche Grade: C−
Glide School District serves the Glide community through elementary, middle and high schools. Its current Niche profile lists 746 students in preschool through 12th grade, making it the smallest district in this selection.
Reading Results Outpace Math
Niche reports that 36% of Glide students met reading proficiency standards and 25% met math standards, drawing on Oregon’s 2024–25 statewide assessments in grades 3–8 and 11. Those figures describe tested students, rather than every child enrolled.
The category grades provide another distinction: Glide received a C for academics and a C+ for college preparation. Both sit above its overall C−, although neither removes the concern that most tested students fell short of proficiency.
Its reported student-teacher ratio is 16 to 1. That is a district staffing measure, not a promise that a particular classroom contains 16 students.
A November Vote Could Reshape the Campuses
Families also have an immediate local decision to follow. Glide’s proposed $16.5 million capital improvement bond, Measure 10-216, goes before voters November 3, 2026.
The district says approval would unlock a $6.1 million state matching grant, bringing the proposed improvement package to $22.6 million.
The proposed projects include a new elementary cafeteria and multipurpose space, a relocated front office and single entry, and a dedicated middle school building with STEM classrooms and collaborative project areas.
Plans also call for pedestrian improvements and removal of the roadway dividing the middle and high school campus. These are proposed changes, with design and construction planning dependent on approval.
For families considering Glide, the next chapter could involve the physical school day as well as classroom results.
South Umpqua School District — Overall Niche Grade: C−
South Umpqua serves communities including Myrtle Creek, Tri City and Canyonville. Its Niche profile lists 1,412 students in preschool through 12th grade and a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1.
A Reading Bright Spot Beside a Math Gap
Niche reports 28% reading proficiency and 17% math proficiency from Oregon’s 2024–25 assessments. Its academics category received a C−, while its teachers category earned a C+.
A closer look at the state district report included in South Umpqua’s December 2025 board materials reveals why the combined figures need some unpacking.
In 2024–25, 39% of third graders met English language arts expectations, close to Oregon’s 41%. Eighth-grade math presented a sharper concern: 8% met expectations, compared with 29% statewide.
Those are separate grade-level measures. The reading result gives elementary families a different picture from the one confronting families approaching high school math.
High School Progress Looks Stronger
The same state report shows that 94% of ninth graders were on track to graduate in 2024–25, exceeding the statewide figure of 87%. That measure tracks students earning one-quarter of their graduation credits during ninth grade.
For the cohort entering ninth grade in 2020–21 and graduating in 2023–24, South Umpqua’s four-year graduation rate was 83%, compared with Oregon’s 82%.
These results concern different groups of students, but together they show that weak proficiency figures coexist with stronger high school progression measures.
The district also describes schoolwide Title I reading and math support at Myrtle Creek Elementary, Tri City Elementary and Canyonville’s elementary grades.
That makes the delivery of additional instruction a concrete part of the story, particularly as students move toward the middle school grades where the math results raise greater concern.
Winston-Dillard School District — Overall Niche Grade: C−
Winston-Dillard serves the Winston and Dillard area, with schools also including Lookingglass Elementary. Its current Niche profile lists 1,292 students in preschool through 12th grade and a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.
Low Proficiency, With Recent Reading Gains
Niche reports 29% reading proficiency and 16% math proficiency using Oregon’s 2024–25 assessments. The district received a C− for academics and a C for teachers.
Its 2025–26 Integrated Programs Annual Report adds a more encouraging development: third-grade English language arts proficiency reached 33% in 2024–25, up from 23.5% the previous year.
That improvement applies specifically to third graders. It does not replace the broader proficiency figures or establish that gains occurred throughout the district.
The report identifies early reading as a continuing challenge and describes enhanced core reading instruction and high-dosage tutoring among its strategies. These are substantive efforts to follow as additional assessment results become available.
Attendance and Freshman Progress Offer Other Signals
Winston-Dillard’s report also documents improvement in early elementary attendance. The share of K–2 students classified as regular attenders rose from 54.4% in 2022–23 to 65.4% in 2024–25.
At the high school level, ninth-grade on-track performance increased from 78.3% in 2023–24 to 79.5% in 2024–25. Being on track is an early credit milestone, rather than a graduation rate.
The district describes teacher professional learning communities operating across its buildings as part of its improvement work. I
ts school network also includes both Douglas High School and Dillard Alternative High School, making school-specific information particularly relevant for older students.
The useful takeaway is measured: Winston-Dillard still reports low proficiency, while its own recent reporting identifies gains in reading, attendance and freshman credit progress worth watching.
Across Douglas County, the Same Letter Covers Different Experiences
The county listing spans a substantial range of overall grades. Oakland received a B+, Roseburg Schools a B− and Sutherlin a C+, while North Douglas, Riddle and Yoncalla received Cs.
That places the three featured districts at the bottom of this particular comparison, but their shared letter does not make their educational experiences interchangeable.
Enrollment alone varies considerably, and families encounter individual schools, teachers and courses rather than a district average.
Niche’s 2027 district methodology combines academic measures with factors including teachers, school culture, family feedback, resources, activities and sports. Its overall grade therefore reflects more than standardized-test performance.
The reporting periods also matter. A 2027 evaluation can contain 2024–25 assessment results, while a state report’s graduation figure may follow an earlier cohort. A proposed facilities project, meanwhile, describes what could happen next.
Reading those timelines together helps families distinguish established outcomes from emerging progress and future plans. None of those deserves to disappear behind a single letter.
