Original Research by School Decision on Esd 105 Open Doors
ESD 105 Open Doors is an alternative high school serving grades nine through twelve, located in Yakima, Washington. It operates under Educational Service District 105, a regional service agency that supports multiple school districts in south-central Washington, not as part of a single traditional school district. This structure means the school is a direct program of the ESD rather than a local district high school, and it is designated as an alternative school.
The student body is small, with fewer than a hundred students enrolled. The grade distribution is lopsided in a way that tells a story: a very small number of ninth graders, no tenth graders recorded, then larger groups in eleventh and twelfth grades, with the heaviest concentration in the final year. This pattern is common for schools focused on credit recovery or reengagement, where students come back to finish diplomas they did not earn on a conventional timeline. Demographically, the school draws a roughly even mix of white and Hispanic students, with a noticeable share of American Indian or Alaska Native students and small numbers from other backgrounds. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, students with disabilities, and English learners are not provided in the available records.
State assessment results are not reported for this school, and no four-year graduation rate is available. The comparison set that would normally position this school relative to districts in Yakima County could not be applied because the required metrics are missing. For an alternative school serving older high school students, standard accountability measures often do not apply, or are not published in the same way, though the data does not specify the reason for the absence. A parent or guardian exploring this option would want to ask the school directly about completion rates, how it defines a graduate, and what student support services are in place.
The school's location in Yakima places it in the central city of a productive agricultural region known for apples, wine, and hops. Yakima serves as the county seat and the hub of its metropolitan area, with a downtown that hosts seasonal festivals and a 20-mile system of paved pathways and parks called the Yakima Greenway. Housing in the Yakima area is moderately priced relative to Washington state overall, though above the national median, and rental costs have risen over the past year. The local economy is anchored in agriculture, transportation and warehousing, healthcare, and retail. Yakima has experienced slight population growth in recent years, with some suburban expansion in unincorporated areas like West Valley and Terrace Heights.
The school is designated as an alternative school, which means it is not a standard comprehensive high school. Given its enrollment pattern—overwhelmingly eleventh and twelfth graders—it appears structured for students who need a different path to a diploma, whether due to credit deficits, life circumstances, or a desire for a smaller, more flexible setting. The parent agency, Educational Service District 105, runs this program as part of its regional services, not as a home district school, so the admissions process, transportation, and relationship to a student's resident district would be important details to clarify. No information is available about course offerings, extracurriculars, discipline, or staffing, so those are open questions for families to investigate with the school directly.
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