Original Research by School Decision on Hawthorne Alternative High School
Hawthorne Alternative High School serves grades nine through twelve in Pendleton, Oregon, as an alternative school within the Pendleton School District. With a small enrollment, it provides a non-traditional academic setting for students who may benefit from a different structure than a comprehensive high school. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status is not reported in the available data.
State testing data is limited to a single school year and covers only English language arts and science. Proficiency rates in both subjects are well below typical benchmarks seen across the county, but because this is an alternative school, the student population often includes those who have struggled in a conventional classroom or are working to recover credits. The data gives a snapshot, not a trend, and a family considering Hawthorne would want to discuss with the school how academic progress is measured there and what the typical pathway toward graduation looks like. The school’s graduation rate is not reported in the data, which is not unusual for alternative schools that may not follow the same four-year cohort model as traditional high schools; a parent should ask directly about completion rates and post-graduation plans.
The student body is small, with enrollment concentrated in the upper grades. Racially, the majority of students are white, with a substantial Hispanic share, a small American Indian or Alaska Native population, and a few students who identify as two or more races. Information on students with disabilities, English learners, and free or reduced-price meal eligibility is missing from the data, so the share of students receiving those supports is unknown.
Hawthorne is part of the Pendleton School District, which has faced repeated difficulty passing a facilities bond. Four bond measures between 2021 and 2024 failed, meaning the district has not been able to fund major upgrades and repairs across its schools. This leaves aging facilities as an unresolved issue and creates uncertainty about future capital investment in district buildings, including Hawthorne.
Pendleton itself is the county seat of Umatilla County and functions as a cultural and economic hub for eastern Oregon. Its economy is rooted in agriculture, ranching, and wool production, with major employers including the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, St. Anthony Hospital, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Blue Mountain Community College, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The downtown historic district is walkable and has seen recent revitalization, and the annual Pendleton Round-Up draws large crowds. The population has been relatively stable, with modest growth over the past decade. Housing values in the area are below the state average, and rents are moderate relative to income, which may influence what families can afford in the local market.
Because Hawthorne is an alternative school, many standard metrics that parents often look for—such as chronic absenteeism rates, course access, staffing ratios, and discipline data—are not reported here. This is common for alternative settings that may operate under different reporting frameworks. A parent evaluating Hawthorne should seek direct information from the school about its curriculum, credit recovery options, support services, and how it prepares students for life after high school. The school’s academic profile is modest when measured by state tests alone, but the value of an alternative school lies in its ability to meet students where they are, and a conversation with the staff would likely be more illuminating than the numbers on this page.
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