Best Schools in Hermiston, Oregon

Hermiston's public school system has 9 ranked schools, with an average score of 6.5 out of 10. The strongest academic performance clusters at the elementary level — four of the top five schools in the city are elementary schools, with one middle school also placing among the highest performers. That concentration signals that families with younger children have the most options to pursue in Hermiston's school landscape.

Performance spread matters for parents doing comparisons. Three of the city's 9 schools — 33% — score 7.0 or higher, meaning strong options exist but require deliberate selection. The majority of schools sit at or near the 6.5 average, so the difference between choosing carefully and choosing at random is real.

Desert View Elementary School tops the city at 8.5 out of 10 — Hermiston's highest-rated school and a clear standout. Highland Hills Elementary follows at 8.1, keeping both schools in the same high tier. Loma Vista Elementary rounds out the 7+ group at 7.2. Those three schools form Hermiston's strongest academic cluster. Below them, Sandstone Middle School scores 6.8, above the city average and the primary option worth prioritizing for families transitioning out of elementary. Sunset Elementary sits exactly at the city average of 6.5.

For parents comparing options, zoning is the central variable. The gap between Desert View (8.5) and the city average (6.5) is a full two points — meaningful for a city this size. Families who can access Desert View or Highland Hills land at the top end of Hermiston's performance range. Differentiation is highest at the elementary tier; middle school choices are narrower, making Sandstone the clear focal point for that grade band. At 6.5 out of 10, the district average points to functional baseline performance across the board, with genuine peaks at the top that make address and school selection worth researching before you commit.