Original Research by School Decision on Eisenhower High School
Eisenhower High School is a large regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Yakima, Washington, as part of the Yakima School District. It sits in a city that blends its role as the county seat and commercial center with a deep agricultural identity; the area is central to the nation’s apple, wine, and hop production. The school itself occupies a campus on the city’s west side.
The student body is large for a high school of this grade band, and it is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students identifying as white and smaller numbers representing other racial and ethnic groups. A very high proportion of students come from low-income households, as indicated by the share receiving free or reduced-price lunch. This economic profile is a defining feature of the school community and is significantly above the national average for such measures. Data on the number of students with disabilities or who are English learners was not available, which is a notable gap for a family trying to understand the full support structure.
On state assessments, the school’s academic performance is mixed and provides a clear picture of where students stand. In English language arts, just under half of students met the state proficiency standard in the most recent testing year. In mathematics, performance was much lower, with a small share of students reaching proficiency. Science results fell between the two, with a little over two-fifths of students meeting the bar. These figures represent a single year of data, so no trend is available, but the gap between ELA and math is wide and is a soft spot a parent would want to explore directly with the school. The school was not included in the available neighbor comparison for districts in Yakima County, so its performance relative to other high schools in the county cannot be stated from the data provided.
The district itself has received recent recognition for its governance and programming. The school board was named the 2024 Large District School Board of the Year in Washington state, and the district has expanded dual-language programs into nearly every elementary school. It has also developed college-access initiatives that allow students to earn an associate’s degree without leaving their high school campus. These are strengths that signal a district investing in pathways beyond a standard diploma, and they are likely relevant to Eisenhower families.
Housing in the area around the school sits at a price point modestly below the state median and above the national median, with rents rising. The monthly mortgage cost for a typical home is higher than the typical rent, reflecting a market where renting is the less expensive option for a family that does not already own. The national unemployment rate has held steady at moderate levels.
The school environment and access data, including discipline, course access, staffing, attendance, and locale classification, were not available. A parent looking for a complete picture of school climate and course offerings would need to seek this information directly from the school or the district. Given the school’s size and the district’s program investments, questions about Advanced Placement, career and technical education, and elective breadth are natural to ask.
This is a high school serving a large, economically challenged, predominantly Hispanic student body in a mid-sized agricultural hub city. Its academic results show a clear distinction between higher ELA performance and significantly lower math performance. The district offers concrete opportunities for college credit and dual-language learning, which are meaningful programmatic strengths. A family considering Eisenhower should weigh the school’s strong district-level initiatives and its large, diverse community against the need to better understand math instruction and the specific support systems in place for its student population.
See more original research from School Decision →