Original Research by School Decision on Soar to Success
Soar to Success is an alternative high school serving grades nine through twelve in the Pasco School District. It is one of several secondary options within a rapidly growing district that has recently opened a new comprehensive high school and a career and college center. Because this is a specialized alternative setting, most of the standard academic performance measures that parents commonly look for are simply not available. State testing data was not present in the records for this school, and there was no graduation rate reported. These gaps are typical for an alternative school, which often serves students who are pursuing a non-traditional path to a diploma and may not participate in standard assessments at the same rate as a comprehensive high school. A parent considering Soar to Success would want to contact the school directly to understand what credit recovery options, scheduling flexibility, or specialized supports are offered, and how the school tracks student progress toward graduation.
The school itself operates within the Pasco School District, a system undergoing substantial change. Voters approved a bond measure in early 2023 that funded a third comprehensive high school, Sageview High School, which opened for the 2025-26 school year. This was a direct response to severe overcrowding at Chiawana High School. The district also launched a Digital Learning Academy in 2023, consolidating online programs, and purchased land for a future elementary or middle school. A career and college center called Orion High School was also planned to open in the 2025-26 school year. For a family at Soar to Success, the district context means there is institutional momentum around expanding capacity and creating alternative pathways, though the specific relationship between those new programs and this existing alternative school was not detailed.
Pasco itself is a fast-growing city in the Tri-Cities region of Washington, with a strong agricultural and industrial base. Major employers include food processors like Lamb Weston and Reser's Fine Foods, the BNSF Railway, and the Hanford nuclear site. The city's growth has been concentrated in West Pasco, where new housing tracts and shopping centers have emerged. Housing values in the area around the school are below the state average, and rents are at a level that makes buying more expensive than renting on a monthly basis. The economic context shows a national unemployment rate in the low single digits and rising rental costs across the country, which is relevant for any family evaluating the affordability of the area.
Given the limited public data, the picture of Soar to Success is one of a specialized program within a large, growing district. The absence of test scores and graduation numbers means a family cannot evaluate the school using the same metrics they might use for a standard high school. The core question for any parent considering this school is about the specific alternative model it uses. Without that information in the available records, the most responsible next step is to reach out to the school or the district to learn how Soar to Success defines success for its students and what supports it provides to help them reach graduation. The school is a real option in a district that has clearly invested in expanding its secondary school offerings, but the details of this particular program remain behind the administrative door.
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