Summary:
The Valley School District in Washington serves about 1,000 K-8 students across two elementary schools, Columbia Virtual Academy and Valley School, which share a campus location in Valley.
When comparing the two schools, Columbia Virtual Academy is the higher-performing school in the district, with significantly stronger test scores in English, math, and science, and a much higher statewide ranking. Valley School operates with a much smaller student body and a notably lower student-to-teacher ratio, but its academic proficiency rates, particularly in math, are below the district and state averages. Both schools have seen their science scores come closer to the state average than their scores in other subjects.
A notable finding is the difference in resources: Valley School spends over three times more per student than Columbia Virtual Academy, yet the virtual academy model at Columbia produces stronger academic results. This performance gap suggests parents may want to look closely at the different educational approaches, as the online model at the larger Columbia Virtual Academy is currently associated with better student outcomes in this district.
Thank you for your feedback!