Best Public Schools in Chelan, WA

Chelan, Washington, has four public schools serving about 1,246 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in the Lake Chelan School District. The schools are Morgen Owings Elementary School for grades K–5, Chelan Middle School for grades 6–8, and Chelan High School and Chelan School of Innovation for grades 9–12. Districtwide, about 59% to 64% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the district ranks around the middle of Washington districts overall.

Chelan Middle School is the strongest overall academic performer. It ranks in the 70th statewide percentile and exceeds Washington averages in both English language arts and math, with especially strong sixth-grade results. Its math proficiency rose notably from the prior year. Chelan High School has also improved in statewide ranking and shows strong overall ELA results. Its reported graduation rate was 96.4% in 2023–2024, although its current math and science proficiency remain below state averages. These results suggest that the high school supports students well through graduation, while academic improvement is still needed in some subjects.

Morgen Owings Elementary School is the clearest area of concern, ranking in the 17th statewide percentile. Its ELA, math, and science results are below district and state averages, with math declining from third through fifth grade. Science is the broadest districtwide weakness: all three schools with reported current results fall below the state average. The small Chelan School of Innovation has limited and partly suppressed assessment data, but its available ELA and graduation results are encouraging and should be interpreted cautiously because it serves only about 50 students. Parents may want to focus especially on elementary math, science instruction across grade levels, and whether the successful practices at middle school can be extended to other schools.