JORDAN VALLEY, Ore. — Tucked away in far eastern Oregon's Malheur County, minutes away from the Idaho border, is a small school in the Jordan Valley School District.
Forty minutes away from the next-closest elementary school, Rockville Elementary School has three students. Two are sisters, who attend alongside their cousin. Their family, the MacKenzies, have attended Rockville Elementary School for generations.
The oldest kids, a fifth grader and third grader, are taught by one teacher: Sharon Green. The youngest student, a first grader, is taught by an assistant teacher, Theresa Greeley.
"It’s like they have a private tutor because the teacher’s able to adapt and meet those kid's needs," said Tyler Johnson, the superintendent of the Jordan Valley School District.
When the MacKenzie kids aren’t in the classroom, they’re busy ranching.
"They might have chores to do," Johnson said. "They might be running off another hour down the road to check water, move cows."
They also rodeo in their free time.
"We have quite a few horses for rodeos," Carlee MacKenzie said.
The school has served students for around 100 years, according to Greeley. At one point, the school was on wheels and went wherever there were students.
"My husband went to school here," Greeley said. "And his dad went to school here. And then it was closed down for a while."
Eventually, it reopened. The number of students still fluctuates every year, but due to the consistent one-on-one attention, many are well-prepared when they move up to Jordan Valley High School, which serves grades 7-12.
Due to the small size of the school, Green said she's able to cater to students’ interests and adjust her approach to learning.
"I love that we can tailor every single thing we do to that particular student," she said.
Rockville Elementary is going to feel a bit different next year, when Greeley is set to retire after 19 years at the school. After so long teaching the youngest students at the school, she said it's a bittersweet milestone.
"I love it, I love my job," she said. "I’m pretty sad I’m going to retire."
She said she may still volunteer at the school, though she plans to travel as well. The school is also about to welcome another MacKenzie family student, who will start kindergarten in the fall.
But at the moment, there aren't any other kids in the community, and the teachers worry that eventually, once each of the current students moves on to high school, Rockville Elementary will close again.
"School will shut down at some point if we don’t get more families, which in Rockville is pretty rare," Green said.
But Rockville Elementary School serves grades K-6, so the closure is still years away.
"And you never know," Green said. "You never know. Maybe someone will move in and there will be more kids and they’ll be able to keep this school open."
For now, Green said she plans to teach the kids as though the school will eventually close down, making sure to give them the best education she can.
"Like, let’s go out with a bang," Green said.