Summary:
Neah-Kah-Nie High School is the only high school in Neah-Kah-Nie School District 56, serving grades 9–12 to 244 students in the coastal community of Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Because it is the district's sole high school, families have a single option — but it is a strong one. The district ranks 10th of 141 in Oregon (93rd percentile, 5 stars), and the school itself ranks 37th of 271 schools (86th percentile, 4 stars) for 2025–2026.
That ranking is the big story. Just a year earlier, the school sat at 177th of 270 with only 2 stars, and it was also a 2-star school in 2023–2024. The jump to 37th represents a 140-position gain and roughly +52 percentile points in a single year. Test scores back that up: 66.7% of students are proficient in English Language Arts versus 43.8% statewide, 41.5% in math versus 32.9% statewide, and 44.6% in science versus 30.6% statewide. Eleventh-grade results are similarly strong, with math proficiency of 41.5% compared to 22.9% statewide. The graduation rate is 84.6%, a bit above the state's 83.0%.
Two things are worth watching. Chronic absenteeism is 36.6% — higher than the state's 33.5%, though slightly better than the district's 37.7% — and attendance strongly affects graduation and long-term achievement. Also note the context: about 73% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, per-student spending is $30,192, and the student-teacher ratio is 13.6. These figures reflect a small, high-need school where fixed costs are spread across fewer students. The main question for families is whether this year's dramatic improvement holds.
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