Kings Valley Charter School presented its annual report to the Philomath School Board on Feb. 19, touching on student attendance, math performance and graduation trends.
Diana Barnhart, KVCS operations director, and John Corbin, board chair, fielded questions from board members on several topics covered in the report.
Attendance was a notable highlight, with Barnhart reporting that 88% of Kings Valley’s high school students currently qualify as regular attenders — defined as being present at least 80% of the time. The figure represents one of the stronger attendance rates the school has seen in recent years, she said, despite a stretch of illness affecting students in recent weeks.
“One of our major areas of improvement was engagement, which we felt was a reflection in our attendance, and then identifying areas of why students weren’t able to attend and trying to help families with it,” Barnhart said.
On academics, Barnhart acknowledged that middle school math scores showed limited growth on i-Ready, an online assessment the school uses to measure academic growth throughout the year. The school has since adopted a new math curriculum and provided staff training in response, she said, adding that literacy scores showed more encouraging movement.
Graduation numbers also came up. After graduating only four students in the 2023-24 school year — a lingering effect of COVID-era enrollment losses — Barnhart said figures have improved significantly in the current year.
The board also noted that an Oregon School Boards Association audit of Kings Valley, covering the 2024-25 school year, is expected to be returned soon for review.