Ilwaco High School

Ilwaco High School is a public school serving 297 students in grades 9–12 in the coastal community of Ilwaco, Washington, as part of the Ocean Beach School District. Its recent results show a notable turnaround: the school ranked in the 65th percentile statewide in 2025–2026, up from the 11th percentile in 2022–2023. Ilwaco also reported a strong 91.0% graduation rate in 2023–2024, above both the district’s 87.1% and Washington’s 82.7%.

English Language Arts is the school’s clearest academic strength. In 2025–2026, 76.12% of students were proficient, compared with 52.81% statewide and 55.91% at nearby Naselle-Grays River Valley Junior Senior High Schools. Science proficiency was 52.24%, slightly above the state’s 50.95%, while mathematics remains the main challenge at 23.88%, well below the state’s 43.11%. Compared with Naselle, Ilwaco had a substantial ELA advantage but trailed slightly in math and science. The school’s graduation results are encouraging, although the latest available school-specific dropout rate is older and should be interpreted cautiously.

Recent improvement appears broad, with 2025–2026 subgroup rankings reaching the 76th percentile for students from low-income households and the 71st percentile for students receiving special education services. These figures suggest that gains are reaching a range of learners, though small group sizes can make year-to-year results fluctuate. Ilwaco’s district ranks in the 27th percentile statewide, so the school is currently performing considerably better than its broader district context. Families should also note that Ilwaco’s student-teacher ratio was 19.8, compared with 18.2 at Naselle, and its per-student spending was lower. Overall, the school’s strongest features are its improving overall performance, ELA, science, and graduation rate; mathematics is the key area to watch.