The top reported proficiency rate is 5% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Innovations Academy
Innovations Academy is an alternative school in The Dalles, Oregon, serving kindergarten through twelfth grade within the North Wasco County School District. It is not a charter school, and its status as an alternative school is its defining characteristic. Alternative schools often serve students who benefit from a different structure than a traditional comprehensive school, and that context matters in understanding what this school offers.
The school is small, with an enrollment that is heavily weighted toward the upper grades. Most students are in high school, with the largest single grade being twelfth grade, followed by eleventh and tenth. The elementary and middle school grades each have only a handful of students, and kindergarten through fourth grade combined count very few children. This enrollment shape is unusual for a K-12 school and likely reflects the school’s role as a place where older students transfer in, rather than a neighborhood school that builds from early grades upward. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group, followed by a smaller share of students who are two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
State testing data is sparse, which is common for small alternative schools where results are often suppressed to protect student privacy. For most grade levels in math, ELA, and science, the data is either missing entirely or suppressed. The only reported results come from eighth grade for the most recent school year. In eighth grade, proficiency rates in math, ELA, and science were all very low. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school’s overall proficiency rate was well below the midpoint when compared with the other districts in Wasco County, placing it in the bottom quartile. Because only a single year of data is available, there is no trend to examine whether performance is improving or declining.
No data was reported for the four-year graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, or other civil rights and outcomes measures. A parent wanting to understand postsecondary success or attendance patterns would need to ask the school directly for that information. Similarly, the data does not include any information about course access, staffing ratios, or program offerings such as career and technical education, Advanced Placement, or dual credit.
The Dalles is an inland port and the county seat of Wasco County, situated along the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The local economy includes agriculture, a Google data center, the regional medical center, and the Army Corps of Engineers’ dam operations. The city has a historic downtown and riverfront trail, though much of the built environment is shaped by the highways that converge there. Housing values and rents place the area within reach of the national median. The district did not surface any recent changes that would directly affect parents, such as boundary adjustments or program cuts.
For a family considering Innovations Academy, the key takeaway is that this is a small alternative school that serves a student population concentrated in high school, with very limited standardized test results available for evaluation. The proficiency data that does exist points to substantial academic challenges. The school may meet the needs of students who have not thrived in a traditional setting, but a parent should plan to visit and ask detailed questions about academic support, post-graduation pathways, and the school’s approach to instruction before making a decision.
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