Original Research by School Decision on Lumen Public School
Lumen Public School is a small public charter school district in Spokane County that serves a single high school, Lumen High School, for grades nine through twelve. This is not a traditional district with elementary or middle schools. It is a standalone charter district created to offer an alternative public high school option in Spokane. Its authorization comes from Spokane Public Schools under a five-year contract that began in 2020 and is set to expire in 2025. The upcoming contract renewal will determine whether this school continues to operate.
The district is very small. Its total enrollment is in the dozens, spread thinly across all four high school grades. Such a small size means that the student body is intimate, and the academic and social experience is likely quite different from that of a comprehensive high school with hundreds or thousands of students. Parents choosing this school should expect a setting where a student is well known to staff and peers.
The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. White students make up the largest single group, but no one group holds a majority. A notable share of students are Hispanic, and there are also students who identify as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. This represents a level of diversity that is uncommon in a school this small.
State testing data for Lumen Public School is suppressed or missing. The data available comes from the 2020-21 school year and shows no reported proficiency rates for math, English language arts, or science in eighth grade, but this is a high school district and does not serve eighth graders, so those results are not applicable. The district has no reported proficiency data for the high school grades it does serve, so a parent cannot evaluate academic performance through state test results. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how its students perform on state assessments and what academic outcomes look like across the high school years.
The district's chronic absenteeism rate places it in the bottom quartile among Spokane County's districts. This is a significant concern. A very high share of students are chronically absent, meaning they miss a substantial portion of the school year. Parents should ask what the school does to support attendance and engagement, and whether the school's small size helps or hinders in getting students to class.
Per-pupil spending is in the upper range compared to other districts in the county. That is a notable fiscal profile for a small high school district, as it suggests relatively high resource allocation per student, which can translate into more individualized support, smaller class sizes, or specialized programming. However, without academic outcome data, it is hard to see what that investment is producing in terms of measurable student performance.
CivIL rights data, discipline data, course access information, and staffing numbers are not available in the provided data. There is also no information on the school's specific academic programs whether it offers Advanced Placement, dual credit, career and technical education, or other pathways. The school's website may provide family with details on the curriculum, the instructional model, and the school's mission.
This is a relatively new charter high school of very small size, operating on a fixed-term contract with its authorizer. Its academic track record is not visible from the state testing data that is available. Families considering this school should seek clarity on academics directly from the school, understand the attendance challenges, and pay close attention to the 2025 contract renewal, as the school's continued existence beyond that point is not guaranteed.
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