The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on High Lakes Elementary School
High Lakes Elementary School in northwest Bend serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade and sits within the Bend-La Pine Schools district. It is a regular public school with no charter or magnet status, and there was no Title I designation available in the data. The school serves a student body that is predominantly white, with a much smaller share of students identifying as two or more races, and very small shares of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A relatively modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which suggests the school draws from a neighborhood with above-average household resources compared to many Oregon elementary schools.
On state assessments, High Lakes shows a pattern that parents may want to examine closely by grade level. In English language arts, results for third graders and fourth graders were strong, while fifth graders posted a softer result. In math, third graders also performed at a high level, but the numbers declined noticeably by fourth grade and dropped further by fifth grade. Science is tested only in fifth grade, and that result was lower than the English and math outcomes for the same grade. Overall, when averaged across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s proficiency index placed it in the top quartile relative to districts in Deschutes County. That top-quartile position is driven by the very strong early-grade scores, but the declining trend as students move through the grades means a parent of an upper-grade student may want to ask the school about instructional approaches in math and science for older elementary students. Only one year of assessment data was available, so there is no trend line to show whether these patterns are longstanding or a recent shift.
The school has no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, course access, and staffing was not available. A parent interested in those topics would need to ask the school directly.
Bend itself is a rapidly growing city that has transformed from a logging town into a recreation and tourism hub, with the Mount Bachelor ski resort and outdoor activities like mountain biking, fishing, and hiking drawing visitors. The Deschutes River runs through the city and shapes daily life downtown, and Pilot Butte, an extinct volcano, sits within the city limits. Population growth has been swift, and the school district has responded with major investments. In 2022, voters approved a large school construction bond to build a new elementary school, expand existing schools, and make safety upgrades across the district. The district also opened a new high school in 2021 to relieve overcrowding. These changes indicate that the district is adding capacity to keep pace with Bend's growth, which may affect future attendance boundaries and school populations.
The housing market in the area reflects the region's desirability. Home values are notably above the national median and slightly above the Oregon median, though they have softened recently. Rents are also above the national norm, and mortgage costs outpace rents by a meaningful margin, which means buying a home in the school's attendance area requires significant income. The affordability ratio suggests that housing costs are a stretch for the typical household, so families moving into the area should budget accordingly.
For a family considering High Lakes, the academic picture is one of strong early elementary performance with a noticeable drop-off by fifth grade, especially in math and science. The student body is not economically diverse, and the school sits in a growing city where the district is actively building to manage enrollment. A parent whose child is entering kindergarten or first grade will see a school with very strong test results at those levels, while a parent of a fourth or fifth grader may want to investigate the support systems in place for upper-grade math and science instruction. The broader context is a fast-growing, outdoor-oriented city with expensive housing and a district that is investing heavily in new facilities.
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