Original Research by School Decision on Community School
Community School is an alternative high school serving grades nine through twelve in the Beaverton School District. The school is located on SW Merlo Drive in Beaverton, a mid-sized city in the Tualatin Valley that is part of the Portland metropolitan area and a major economic center for Washington County. Beaverton is known for hosting technology companies as part of the "Silicon Forest" and is the global headquarters of Nike. The city has encouraged transit-oriented development around its seven MAX Light Rail stations, and the area near the school is well-served by public transit.
The school’s enrollment is small. The student body is diverse, with a large representation of students who identify as white and a substantial proportion who identify as Hispanic. Smaller shares of students identify as two or more races, Black, Asian, or American Indian or Alaska Native. A significant majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with considerable economic need.
Academically, the state testing data available for the most recent school year shows proficiency rates on state assessments that are well below the midpoint among districts in Washington County. In English language arts, the share of students meeting the state standard was on the lower end, and in science, it was lower still. The data is for a single year, so there is no trend to examine. This is a notable soft spot in the school’s academic picture. The school does not serve a tested population in mathematics, so no math results are available. A four-year graduation rate was not reported in the data provided.
Because this is an alternative school, it is important for a family to understand the school’s specific mission and the student population it is designed to serve. Alternative schools often serve students who have not thrived in a conventional high school setting and may offer a smaller, more supportive environment or a different instructional approach. The data does not describe the school’s particular academic focus, credit recovery options, or any specialized programs, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its curriculum, course offerings, and the pathways available to students after graduation. The absence of a full set of conventional academic metrics, such as a graduation rate, may reflect the nature of an alternative school, but a family should seek clarity from the school about student outcomes and post-secondary readiness.
Beaverton itself is a full-service city. Its downtown core around The Round includes the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, the Beaverton City Library, a farmer’s market, and food cart pods. Much of the city is suburban in character, with car-dependent commercial corridors, though walkable street life is concentrated around the downtown and transit center. Major employers include Nike, the Beaverton School District, and a large number of technology firms. The district’s most notable recent change is the opening of Tumwater Middle School in 2021, which expanded capacity and redrew some feeder patterns for families, though this is primarily relevant for families with students entering the district at the middle school level.
For a family considering Community School, the central question is whether its alternative setting and approach are the right fit for a student who needs a different environment than a comprehensive high school. The academic proficiency data is low, which is a meaningful consideration, and the lack of a reported graduation rate means that one important measure of the school’s effectiveness is not available in this data. The school’s small size and the economic need of its student body are defining characteristics. A family should visit the school, speak with staff, and ask directly about the school’s academic expectations, support services, and what happens for students after they leave the school.
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