The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 31%.
Original Research by School Decision on Quartzite Learning
Quartzite Learning is an alternative school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade in Chewelah, a small rural town in the Colville River Valley of Stevens County. Chewelah was long a mining and agricultural center, the magnesite plant that once dominated its economy closed decades ago, and the town has since diversified into farming, a ski resort, a golf course, and a casino. In recent years it received a state Creative District designation, reflecting an active arts community, but the town’s population has grown only modestly over the long term and skews older. Housing values here sit below the Washington state average, with modest increases in the past year.
The school itself is very small, drawing a student body that is majority white, with a Hispanic minority and small numbers of students identifying as Black, Asian, American Indian, or two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the community’s economic profile.
Because Quartzite Learning is an alternative school with a small enrollment, state testing results are largely suppressed to protect student privacy. That pattern is common in alternative settings where each grade may have only a handful of students. Where data was reported, the picture shows low proficiency. Across all tested grades and subjects combined, Quartzite Learning’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Stevens County. In the one grade level where English language arts results were not suppressed, less than a third of students met the state standard. In math and science, reported proficiency rates were lower still. A multi-year trend is not available because only a single year of data exists.
No graduation rate was reported, which is often the case for alternative schools that may serve students on non-traditional pathways to a diploma. A parent or guardian interested in completion rates and postsecondary plans would need to ask the school directly. Chronic absenteeism data also was not available.
No information on course access, staffing, or discipline was found, and the district has not publicly reported recent major changes that would affect families. The school’s alternative designation suggests a structure intended for students who benefit from a setting different from a conventional comprehensive school, but the available data does not detail the specific instructional model or support services offered.
Chewelah itself offers a compact downtown, a museum, a center for the arts, and access to outdoor recreation such as Waitts Lake and the Colville National Forest. The town’s economy is stable but not growing quickly, and its aging population means limited new housing development pressure. For families considering this school, the small scale and alternative format may fit a student who needs a more flexible or individualized approach, but the academic results as measured by state tests are low, and the gaps in available data mean a visit and direct conversation with the school will be essential to understand what is actually in place.
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