Bend-La Pine Schools hail strong ‘report card’ rankings

The Bend-La Pine Schools community has much to celebrate with the release of the Oregon Department of Education’s Report Card. Twenty-four of the district’s 28 schools earned the state’s top rankings of 4 or 5.

Seven schools – Amity Creek Magnet School, High Lakes Elementary School, Highland Magnet School, Juniper Elementary School, Westside Village Magnet School, William E. Miller Elementary School and Summit High School – earned a rank of 5, which means they are in the top 10 percent of schools in Oregon. This is an increase from last year, when five schools in the district earned 5s.

“These results showcase what we know to be true – our schools are among the best in the state thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff and students,” said Superintendent Ron Wilkinson. “We have never had more schools earn top marks and we are proud of that accomplishment. It is a great credit to the support we receive from parents and members of the community.”

The state singled out two Bend-La Pine Schools for special honors. Westside Village Magnet School and Juniper Elementary School were named Model Schools, a designation given to the top 5 percent of high poverty schools in the state. It is also the first year that Juniper has earned the state’s top ranking of 5. Juniper Elementary School Principal Dan Wolnick said, “Staff, students and families have been working hard on continued growth and it is nice to be recognized for their dedication and commitment.”

Another highlight of the report came from Summit High School, which earned a 5 for the first time. It is the first high school in the district to earn the honor. The designation is particularly challenging for high schools to achieve, but was a goal staff at Summit wanted to aim toward.

Summit High School Principal Alice DeWittie said, “I’m enormously proud of the staff for all the work they put in and proud of the kids.”

School and district report cards are available on the ODE website at http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx