Original Research by School Decision on Auburn Opportunity Project
Auburn Opportunity Project is an alternative high school within the Auburn School District, serving grades nine through twelve but in practice enrolling only eleventh and twelfth graders. Its small enrollment reflects a program designed for students who may benefit from a nontraditional pathway to a diploma, often those needing credit recovery, a more flexible schedule, or a setting with individualized support. The student body is diverse, with the largest group identifying as Hispanic, followed by white students, and smaller shares of Black, multiracial, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that economic need is a significant factor in the school’s population.
State testing data is not available for this school. That is common for alternative schools, which may not administer the same assessments as comprehensive high schools or may not have results reported publicly. Similarly, no graduation rate, chronic absenteeism rate, or discipline data were reported. A parent evaluating Auburn Opportunity Project should understand that the typical academic performance metrics that appear for most schools are absent here, and they would need to speak directly with the school about how student progress, credit completion, and graduation are measured and tracked.
The school is housed in Auburn’s downtown area on West Main Street, near the city’s transit hub and civic core. Auburn itself is a mid-sized suburb in the Seattle metropolitan area with a mix of residential neighborhoods, a historic downtown, and a strong industrial base anchored by the Boeing plant and other major employers. The city has grown through annexations and large planned communities, and the school district is in a period of capital investment, with a five-year strategic plan and significant construction spending reported in recent years.
For families considering Auburn Opportunity Project, the central question is what kind of alternative environment the school provides. Because the data does not include the school’s own description of its program, course offerings, or graduation requirements, a prospective family would want to learn directly from staff how students are supported, what the daily schedule looks like, and what credits are available. The school’s grade configuration, with virtually all students in eleventh and twelfth grades, suggests it functions as a finishing school where students complete their remaining credits for a diploma rather than a full four-year program. This could be a good fit for a student who has fallen behind in a traditional high school or needs a smaller, more focused setting to finish. It would not suit a student looking for a broad range of Advanced Placement or career-and-technical courses, as those are not mentioned in the available data and are unlikely in such a small alternative setting. The absence of testing data means there is no public record of academic proficiency to review, which may be a concern for some families, but it is also a reflection of the school’s alternative designation.
Auburn is a car-dependent suburb, though the downtown location near the Auburn Station transit center provides some public transportation access. The district’s ongoing capital projects may improve school facilities over time, but this school’s specific building and resources are not described. In sum, Auburn Opportunity Project offers a small, targeted alternative for upperclassmen to earn a high school diploma in a setting where typical test-based accountability does not apply. A parent should visit, ask about credit pathways and support services, and decide whether the school’s structure matches their student’s needs.
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