Castle Rock High School

Castle Rock High School is a public high school serving 422 students in grades 9-12 within the Castle Rock School District, which ranks in the bottom 10% of districts statewide.

The school has experienced a significant and concerning decline in academic performance over the past decade, now ranking in the bottom quarter of all Washington high schools. A major area of struggle is mathematics, where proficiency rates are alarmingly low at 20%, less than half the state average. While graduation rates are currently reasonable, they fluctuate wildly year-to-year, and the low test scores raise questions about the consistency of academic rigor. Notably, the school spends more per student than neighboring districts like Kelso and Longview, yet achieves poorer outcomes, suggesting resources may not be effectively utilized.

Comparisons to nearby comprehensive high schools highlight significant opportunity gaps. For instance, R A Long High School in the Longview School District graduates over 92% of its students while also achieving much higher proficiency in English and math. Similarly, Mark Morris High School and Kelso High School maintain more stable, higher performance with similar student demographics. Castle Rock's challenges with proficiency and dropout rates are more typical of smaller alternative programs in the area, indicating a need for targeted intervention, particularly in math instruction and curriculum alignment.