Delta High School (or DHS) is a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Pasco, Washington Pasco ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 59,781 at the 2010 census, and 75,432 as of the July 1, 2019 Census Bureau estimate. Pasco is one of three cities (the others b ...

, United States. It provides a

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

-based curriculum for students in grades 9-12 from three school districts in the Tri-Cities area. The school is operated as a collaborative effort by the

Kennewick School District Kennewick School District # 17 is the largest employer in the city of Kennewick, Washington. The school district runs 17 elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides ...

, Pasco School District, and Richland School District, and in partnerships with a local skill center, colleges, and businesses. The school has been designated by the State of Washington as an Existing Innovative School.

Academic

The school's courses are geared towards a heavy focus on the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The study of English, Language Arts, and Social Studies is integrated with STEM subjects. Courses offered each year vary depending on the student population. Teaching methods emphasize student inquiry, problem-solving, and

project-based learning Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students le ...

. Graduating requirements are based on each school district's requirements for total credits and minimum credits in each field of study.

History and facilities

Delta High School opened in 2009 with 100 students, the first full school year was in 2010, and approximately 400 students were expected by 2012. Each school district is allocated approximately 1/3 of the enrollment for its students. Approximately 40 percent of the first year's 100 enrollees left the school, mostly in the first year, reportedly due to frustration with the start-up of the new school and the rigorous program. The first graduating class was in the spring of 2013 when 62 students graduated. By 2013 the school was receiving 300 applications for approximately 100 places. Through the 2014-2015 school year, the school operated in a group of buildings owned by

Columbia Basin College Columbia Basin College (CBC) is a public community college in Pasco, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The college offers English as a second language and General Educational Development (GED) ...

. After a years long effort to locate and build a new permanent campus, a site was located and construction of new permanent facilities were completed for the start of the 2015-2016 school year in

. The new campus was officially dedicated on October 8, 2015 on 5801 Broadmoor Blvd.

Community partners

In addition to the three public school districts, the school partners with Columbia Basin College, Washington State University - Tri-Cities, Washington State STEM Education Foundation, and

Battelle Memorial Institute Battelle Memorial Institute (more widely known as simply Battelle) is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation u ...

.School Community Partners webpage
. Retrieved 2013-11-10

References

External links

* {{authority control Public high schools in Washington (state) High schools in Benton County, Washington Richland, Washington Tri-Cities, Washington