Is Waitsburg High School a good school?

Waitsburg High School ranks 255 th of 437 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Waitsburg High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 86 students attended Waitsburg High School.

What is the racial makeup of Waitsburg High School?

Students at Waitsburg High School are 78% White, 13% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Waitsburg High School?

Waitsburg High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Waitsburg Elementary School Middle : Preston Hall Middle School

Waitsburg High School

Summary:

Waitsburg High School is a public high school serving 86 students in grades 9-12 in the small town of Waitsburg, Washington. The school faces several challenges, including declining academic performance, socioeconomic disparities, and lower rankings compared to nearby schools like Walla Walla High School and Dayton High School.

Waitsburg High School has a predominantly white student population, with 77.91% of students identifying as white, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, has declined over the years, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Science falling below the state averages in the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, the school's ranking has dropped from a 5-star rating in 2014-2015 to a 2-star rating in the current school year, ranking 255 out of 437 Washington high schools.

Waitsburg High School also faces socioeconomic challenges, with 53.49% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year. This suggests that the school may need to implement targeted interventions and explore strategies to improve student learning and achievement, particularly for students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. By addressing these issues and aligning its resources and practices with those of higher-performing nearby schools, Waitsburg High School can work to provide a more equitable and enriching educational experience for its students.

Detail:

Public 9-12

420 Coppei Ave
Waitsburg, WA 99361-0217

(509) 337-6351

District: Waitsburg School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
255^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,323

Feeder schools for Waitsburg High School:

Elementary:	Waitsburg Elementary School
Middle:	Preston Hall Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.9

Number of students: 86

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.9%

Hispanic:

12.8%

African American:

2.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 53.5%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Waitsburg High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Waitsburg High School ranks worse than 58.4% of high schools in Washington. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 41.87. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Waitsburg High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (77.9%), Hispanic (12.8%), American Indian (2.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 53.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Waitsburg High School is 13.9. (See more...)

Compare Waitsburg High School employs 6.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Waitsburg High School is $21,323.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Waitsburg High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Waitsburg High School 255^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Waitsburg High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

White students:

Waitsburg School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Waitsburg School District 143^rd of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Waitsburg High School

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Rank History for all students at Waitsburg High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	23.70	308^th	390	21.0%
2005	35.71	288^th	394	26.9%
2006	66.01	137^th	395	65.3%
2007	73.99	91^st	399	77.2%
2008	65.07	141^st	396	64.4%
2009	73.87	94^th	402	76.6%
2010	82.61	50^th	423	88.2%
2011	67.20	92^nd	440	79.1%
2012	71.94	67^th	450	85.1%
2013	78.16	36^th	454	92.1%
2015	86.46	28^th	341	91.8%
2017	78.26	52^nd	301	82.7%
2018	67.05	100^th	315	68.3%
2019	68.46	115^th	417	72.4%
2021	31.00	316^th	455	30.5%
2022	40.14	263^rd	434	39.4%
2023	41.22	264^th	442	40.3%
2024	41.87	255^th	437	41.6%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Waitsburg High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	91.04	6^th	227	97.4%
2019	82.50	33^rd	344	90.4%
2021	44.53	209^th	392	46.7%
2023	31.89	264^th	362	27.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Waitsburg High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	34.89	255^th	390	34.6%
2023	17.54	308^th	357	13.7%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Waitsburg High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	63.44	119^th	355	66.5%
2021	29.35	291^st	395	26.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Waitsburg High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	51.79	177^th	382	53.7%
2021	15.12	381^st	413	7.7%
2022	34.71	267^th	390	31.5%
2023	36.04	258^th	379	31.9%
2024	44.17	212^th	374	43.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Waitsburg High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	100	0	6	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	108
1989	97	0	5	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	104
1990	112	0	3	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	118
1991	121	0	4	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	130
1992	147	0	6	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	160
1993	163	0	5	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	174
1994	183	0	2	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	192
1995	182	1	0	19	3	n/a	n/a	0	205
1996	182	1	0	19	3	n/a	n/a	0	205
1997	198	1	0	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	208
1998	187	2	1	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	198
1999	199	1	1	10	2	n/a	n/a	0	213
2000	193	1	2	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	205
2001	192	1	4	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	205
2002	127	1	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	133
2003	127	1	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	133
2004	117	0	3	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	126
2005	101	2	2	4	2	n/a	n/a	0	111
2006	98	0	4	4	3	n/a	n/a	2	111
2007	108	3	4	5	3	n/a	n/a	5	128
2008	105	2	5	3	2	n/a	n/a	6	123
2009	112	0	5	3	2	n/a	n/a	8	130
2010	119	1	2	2	2	n/a	n/a	11	137
2011	111	2	1	8	1	1	5	0	129
2012	103	2	1	4	1	1	6	0	118
2013	96	1	1	4	0	0	4	0	106
2014	84	0	0	6	0	0	4	0	94
2015	88	0	0	10	0	0	7	0	105
2016	87	0	1	6	0	0	6	0	100
2017	98	0	2	10	0	0	5	0	115
2018	73	0	1	9	0	0	4	0	87
2019	65	0	1	9	0	0	5	0	80
2020	69	0	0	11	0	0	5	0	85
2021	63	0	0	13	0	0	4	0	80
2022	67	1	1	11	1	0	3	0	84
2023	67	2	2	11	2	0	2	0	86

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Waitsburg High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	108	10.0	10.8	0
1989	104	9.0	11.5	n/a
1990	118	9.8	12.0	0
1991	130	8.5	15.2	n/a
1992	160	9.3	17.2	n/a
1993	174	11.1	15.7	n/a
1994	192	11.0	17.5	n/a
1995	205	11.0	18.6	n/a
1996	205	11.0	18.6	n/a
1997	208	11.2	18.6	n/a
1998	198	8.5	23.3	n/a
1999	213	8.5	25.1	n/a
2000	205	9.8	20.9	n/a
2001	205	10.8	19.0	n/a
2002	133	8.8	15.1	30.8
2003	133	8.8	15.1	30.8
2004	126	10.0	12.6	25.4
2005	111	10.3	10.8	35.1
2006	111	10.6	10.5	36.7
2007	128	10.1	12.7	39
2008	123	11.3	10.9	32.5
2009	130	11.3	11.5	33.6
2010	137	9.9	13.8	37.3
2011	129	10.6	12.1	29.5
2012	118	10.6	11.0	33.9
2013	106	9.4	11.2	27.4
2014	94	n/a	n/a	27.7
2015	105	8.0	13.1	29.5
2016	100	9.0	11.1	36
2017	115	8.6	13.3	37.4
2018	87	9.4	9.2	41.4
2019	80	7.1	11.1	43.8
2020	85	6.4	13.2	57.6
2021	80	6.0	13.2	50
2022	84	6.0	13.9	44
2023	86	6.1	13.9	53.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Waitsburg High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	108	10.0	10.8	0
1989	104	9.0	11.5	n/a
1990	118	9.8	12.0	0
1991	130	8.5	15.2	n/a
1992	160	9.3	17.2	n/a
1993	174	11.1	15.7	n/a
1994	192	11.0	17.5	n/a
1995	205	11.0	18.6	n/a
1996	205	11.0	18.6	n/a
1997	208	11.2	18.6	n/a
1998	198	8.5	23.3	n/a
1999	213	8.5	25.1	n/a
2000	205	9.8	20.9	n/a
2001	205	10.8	19.0	n/a
2002	133	8.8	15.1	30.8
2003	133	8.8	15.1	30.8
2004	126	10.0	12.6	25.4
2005	111	10.3	10.8	35.1
2006	111	10.6	10.5	36.7
2007	128	10.1	12.7	39
2008	123	11.3	10.9	32.5
2009	130	11.3	11.5	33.6
2010	137	9.9	13.8	37.3
2011	129	10.6	12.1	29.5
2012	118	10.6	11.0	33.9
2013	106	9.4	11.2	27.4
2014	94	n/a	n/a	27.7
2015	105	8.0	13.1	29.5
2016	100	9.0	11.1	36
2017	115	8.6	13.3	37.4
2018	87	9.4	9.2	41.4
2019	80	7.1	11.1	43.8
2020	85	6.4	13.2	57.6
2021	80	6.0	13.2	50
2022	84	6.0	13.9	44
2023	86	6.1	13.9	53.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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