Summary:
The city of Burbank, Washington, is served by three public schools—Columbia Elementary (K-5), Columbia Middle School (6-8), and Columbia High School (9-12)—all part of the Columbia (Walla Walla) School District, which faces significant economic challenges as over half of students at each school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Among these schools, Columbia Elementary shows relative academic strengths, particularly in science where it exceeds the state average, and it has the most favorable student-teacher ratio. Columbia High School has demonstrated the most rapid improvement in its statewide ranking recently and maintains a graduation rate near the state average. Columbia Middle School faces the steepest challenges, with the lowest test scores across core subjects and the highest rate of economic need.
Key insights for parents include a notable drop in student performance during the middle school years, while the high school shows stronger success in keeping students on track to graduate than in achieving high test scores. The district as a whole ranks in the bottom quartile statewide, but all three schools have shown measurable improvement in their rankings over the past few years, indicating positive momentum.
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