Top 5 Best Special Needs Schools in Keizer, Oregon (2026)

Claggett Creek is an AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction. AVID teaching strategies are used by all of our teachers in all classes, and students selected for the program also take an AVID or AVID Excel elective focused on college and career readiness. We are a traditional Salem-Keizer middle school for grades 6 to 8, home of the Panthers, with an average enrollment above 850 students. Our dual language students continue the Spanish and English learning they began in elementary school: each grade takes Spanish Language Arts plus at least one other course taught in Spanish, and 8th graders sit the STAMP proficiency test to guide high school placement. Career and technical education starts here with a Paxton-Patterson career exploration lab. We also offer Talented and Gifted services, a Native Education program, athletics and clubs, and we operate as a Title I school. Breakfast and lunch are served daily, and bus transportation is available.

• Public middle school
• Gifted and talented
• AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction
• Speech therapy

Built in 1953, Cummings is the oldest school in Keizer, and today our Cougars number around 435 students in kindergarten through fifth grade within Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Beyond core classes, students take part in our music program, and Talented and Gifted services serve students identified for advanced learning. Our Native Education program addresses the culturally related academic needs of Native American and Alaska Native students, and the district also supports our families through English learner, migrant education and McKinney-Vento programs. Fourth and fifth graders can sign up as Future Chefs. Special education and IEP services are available here, with referrals starting at the school and evaluations by staff such as school psychologists, speech clinicians and occupational therapists. Counselors and mental wellness resources support students, and families have the EDGE online program as an option. Breakfast and lunch are served daily, and bus service is available for riders.

• Public elementary school (K-5)
• Public school

English- and Spanish-speaking children learn together in our dual-language program at Keizer Elementary. Teachers develop academic skills and literacy in both languages, with bilingual literacy, academic achievement and cultural understanding as program priorities. Salem-Keizer's elementary model begins with more instruction in Spanish, moving toward an equal balance of Spanish and English in the upper elementary grades. We serve kindergarten through fifth grade at 5600 McClure Street North. Children participate in music and can use Native Education and school counseling resources alongside classroom learning. Parents follow school news, calendars and library resources through school communications, with ParentSquare and ParentVUE providing further connections. We share meal information and transportation resources as part of organizing the school experience, and connect families with mental wellness and crisis support when they need it. Our teachers work with children as they practice communicating and learning with classmates in the dual-language setting. Parents can discuss homework in their home language, giving children an opportunity to explain an assignment in that language. Our dual-language guidance also encourages parents to read and talk with children in the language they know best.

• Elementary school
• Learning differences
• Twice-exceptional
• Private school

McNary High School is a four-year high school in Keizer with 1,870 students who speak 33 languages. We expect every student to take part in one club, one sport, or one activity each year, and we keep AP and Honors courses open to all students. AVID shapes our teaching, and the WICOR strategies of writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading run through classes across the building. Every student also joins an Advisory class that stays with the same teacher and classmates through all four years and earns half an elective credit each year. More than half of our students take a career and technical education program, and many CTE classes carry college credit. Students can also study the performing arts, work on the Claymore yearbook, and plan next steps in our College and Career Center. Our teams compete in the Greater Valley Conference as part of Salem-Keizer Public Schools.

• Public high school
• AVID
• Career and technical education
• AP and Honors courses

Weddle Elementary is a kindergarten through fifth grade school in Keizer, part of Salem-Keizer Public Schools. We are named for Carmalite Weddle, who led the Keizer Elementary District before it joined Salem-Keizer and became the first principal of Kennedy Elementary in 1964. Our Dual Language Program brings English learners and native English speakers together in two-way Spanish immersion. Primary grades follow an 80/20 model with most instruction in Spanish, moving to an even split of English and Spanish by fourth grade, with the goal of bilingual, biliterate students. Bilingual services are available to families. Every student studies music weekly with a music specialist, and fourth and fifth graders can join choir, orchestra, or band. We also offer talented and gifted services, the Native Education Program, English learner support, counseling, and special education with IEPs through the district's student services team. Families can join our parent club, and bus service is available.

• Public elementary school
• Gifted and talented
• Speech therapy
• Music program