Summary
Innovations Academy is an alternative public school located in The Dalles, Oregon, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 185 students. It is part of the North Wasco County School District 21, which is ranked 120 out of 140 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Innovations Academy faces significant challenges, with declining four-year graduation rates ranging from 81.8% to 62.3% in recent years, much lower than the state average of around 80%. The school also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 34.3% to 72.8%, compared to the state average of around 20%. Academically, Innovations Academy students perform significantly below the district and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 17.9% of 11th-grade students were proficient in ELA, compared to 44.4% statewide. Additionally, Innovations Academy has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 45.95% to 86.63%, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.
Interestingly, the nearby Dufur School, which is in a different district, the Dufur School District 29, performs significantly better than Innovations Academy across various metrics, including graduation rates, test scores, and chronic absenteeism. This suggests that the challenges faced by Innovations Academy may be specific to the school or district, rather than just the broader regional context. The lower per-student spending at Innovations Academy compared to the state average may also be a factor in the school's underperformance, as it may limit the resources available for effective educational programs and support services.
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