Insight School of Oregon Painted Hills

Insight School of Oregon Painted Hills is a small public school in Mitchell, Oregon, serving 211 students in grades 7–12 as part of Mitchell School District 55. It is the only school within 20 miles, so the most useful comparisons are to its district and to the state. The headline here is a turnaround: the school ranked in the bottom 7th percentile of Oregon schools in 2017–2018 and now ranks 22nd of 271 schools in 2025–2026 — the 92nd percentile, with 5 stars. The district itself ranks 18th of 141 in Oregon.

On the 2025–2026 state assessments, the school beat both district and state averages in all three tested subjects: English Language Arts (school 45.8%, district 37.3%, state 43.8%), math (school 47.9%, district 36.9%, state 32.9%), and science (school 46.6%, district 37.4%, state 30.6%). Math is about 15 percentage points above the state and science about 16 points above. Eleventh grade is a clear strength — 65% in ELA, 50% in math and 55% in science. The weak spot is middle school ELA: 7th grade ELA is only 7.7%, far below the district and state, and 8th grade ELA (31.6%) is also below state. Subgroup results are strong in the current year: Hispanic students rank in the 99th percentile, low-SES and male students in the 98th, White students in the 91st and female students in the 77th.

Two areas need attention. The graduation rate was 50.0% in 2024–2025 — a big gain from 27.9% four years earlier, but still roughly 33 points below the state. Chronic absenteeism, at 69.6%, is more than double the state rate and about 17.5 points above the district, though it is declining. The reported student–teacher ratio also jumped to 27.6, and reported per-student spending ($207–$366 across recent years) is unusually low and should be verified. Free/reduced lunch data was blank, so poverty rates can't be checked directly. With only 211 students, single-year grade results can swing widely — interpret the 7.7% carefully. Bottom line: strong academics and improvement, with attendance and completion as the next hurdle.