The Dalles High School

The Dalles High School is a public high school serving grades 9–12 with 795 students in The Dalles, Oregon, a small city in the Columbia River Gorge, and it is part of North Wasco County School District 21. Statewide, it ranked 187th of 271 Oregon high schools in 2025–2026, placing it in the 31st percentile with 2 stars — a decline from 2021–2022, when it ranked in the 51st percentile with 3 stars, and from its peak in 2015–2016 at the 71st percentile with 4 stars.

Compared with nearby Hood River Valley High School, about 18 miles away and larger at 1,174 students, The Dalles has a mixed profile. Its 11th-grade English language arts proficiency of 43.4% edges Hood River's 42.2% and sits just under the state's 46.0%. Graduation is a clear strength: 91.2% in 2024–2025, above Hood River's 89.8% and well above Oregon's 83.0%, and a dramatic rise from 71.7% in 2021–2022. Chronic absenteeism, at 32.5%, is slightly better than the state's 33.5% and much better than the district's earlier figures. Math and science are the clearest weaknesses: 16.2% math proficiency versus Hood River's 25.7% and the state's 22.9%, and 19.0% in science versus 26.9% and 33.8%.

Two contrasts stand out. First, The Dalles performs above its district's overall standing (the school is in the 31st percentile while the district ranks in the 16th), whereas Hood River Valley High School ranks below its own district. Second, The Dalles spends more per student — $23,094 versus $19,079 — and reports a much higher free/reduced-lunch rate (99.25% versus 71.12%), yet still trails in math and science. Results for specific student groups also raise questions: effectiveness for male students, low-income students, Hispanic students, and special education students has dropped sharply, while migrant students remain a bright spot at the 67th percentile with 4 stars.