Original Research by School Decision on Crcc-open Doors
CRCC-Open Doors is an alternative public high school in Connell, part of the North Franklin School District. It serves grades nine through twelve, but its enrollment is extremely small, with only a handful of students currently attending, all in the twelfth grade. The student body is small and diverse, composed of Black and Hispanic students. Because the school is an alternative program, state assessment results are not available and a graduation rate was not reported. The neighbor comparison that would place its academic measures relative to other districts in Franklin County could not be run for the same reason. A parent looking at typical metrics for gauging school performance will find little here, which is common for alternative schools that serve a specific and often very small population of students.
Connell is a small agricultural-industrial city in Franklin County, shaped historically by railroads and dryland wheat farming. Its major employers today include the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, a state prison, and Lamb Weston Foods, a potato processing plant. Several local businesses have closed in recent years and very few new ones have opened. The population grew through the early 2000s but has recently declined. Housing values in the area are moderately affordable relative to state benchmarks, though the local housing market is modest. The district itself recently passed a replacement educational programs and operations levy and approved a bond measure for facility improvements including safety upgrades, HVAC work, and classroom renovations, signaling an investment in the quality of school buildings across the district.
For a family considering CRCC-Open Doors, the key context is that this is an alternative school, not a comprehensive high school. The school is very small, with no testing data or graduation rate to review. That does not necessarily indicate weak outcomes; it reflects the nature of an alternative setting where the traditional accountability measures often do not apply or are not publicly reported in the same way. A parent would want to contact the district or the school directly to understand the program model, the kinds of students it serves, and how it supports its students toward a diploma. The recent district-wide levy and bond approvals suggest that the district is investing in its facilities, which may benefit the learning environment at this school as well. For families who feel their student would be better served in a non-traditional setting, CRCC-Open Doors may be a relevant option, but the available data provides little to evaluate it by and a conversation with school staff would be essential.
See more original research from School Decision →