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Pasco School District outlines three choice high school models, opens lotteries for 2025 freshmen
Summary
District principals presented distinct models for Orion, Delta and New Horizons high schools, explained enrollment and transportation plans, and described curricular approaches including mastery-based and HyFlex learning; Orion reported 112 applications so far and seeks a freshman class of about 150–180.
PASCO, Wash. — Pasco School District officials on Thursday presented an overview of three district “choice” high schools—Orion High School, Delta High School and New Horizons High School—describing program goals, enrollment processes and how students will access activities and services.
Seth Johnson, the planning principal and incoming principal for Orion High School, told the board Orion will open this fall as a career-focused, mastery-based school with signature programs in health sciences, engineering and advanced manufacturing. Johnson said Orion’s approach splits the day into “concourse” years of career exposure for 9th and 10th graders and “runway” years in 11th and 12th grade focused on education and experience, and that the school will allow students to spend roughly half their day off campus pursuing internships, Running Start, Tri-Tech, CBC or WSU Tri-Cities coursework. Johnson said Orion’s application opened before winter break and that “as of 12:30 this afternoon, Orion has a 112 applications,” with planners aiming for a freshman class of about 150 to 180 students and a campus capacity built for about 600.
Casey Bennion, principal of Delta High School, described Delta as a small, STEM-focused program jointly supported by Pasco, Richland and Kennewick school districts. Bennion said Delta operates on a trimester schedule, uses standards-based grading and supports robust advisory and college-in-the-high-school options; students continue to receive diplomas from their home high schools. He said Delta’s governance makes Pasco the fiscal agent while each district contributes FTE-based funding.
Becky Hitchman, principal of New Horizons High School, described New Horizons as an alternative school offering both an in-person program—focused mainly on juniors and seniors pursuing credit retrieval—and a virtual option delivered via Zoom. Hitchman said New Horizons uses a HyFlex and mastery-based model, operates on a quarter schedule with four class periods a day, and aims for students to earn two credits per quarter (an annual goal of about eight credits). She noted the school averages roughly 380 students total, including about 100 virtual students, and offers supports such as a social worker, behavior interventionist, two student achievement specialists, a teen-parent case manager and an on-site daycare.
All three principals emphasized that choice schools are smaller than comprehensive high schools, use an application/lottery process and do not directly provide athletics or music; students may participate in those activities at their boundary high schools. Transportation plans differ by school: Delta’s schedule routes students from home to their boundary high schools and then to Delta so students can attend boundary-school athletics before Delta’s 8:30 a.m. start; Orion staff said they are coordinating with the district transportation department to route students from neighborhoods directly to Orion in the morning and return students to home high schools in the afternoon so they can access extracurriculars; New Horizons students generally use Ben Franklin Transit, with district-provided transportation for teen-parent participants.
Board members asked about curriculum approval, capacity and alignment with state graduation standards. Johnson said Orion will undergo an accreditation process and that the planning team is designing interdisciplinary, project-based instruction around clearly defined standards. Bennion and Hitchman described standards- or mastery-based grading that ties credit to demonstrated mastery of prioritized learning standards. Board members also discussed wait lists and cross-application logistics; principals said students who are not selected in a spring lottery are put on a wait list and that principals are working on a cross-check process for students who apply to multiple choice schools so seats can be reallocated promptly.
Why it matters: The district is expanding options aimed at different student needs—career-focused pathways, rigorous regional STEM instruction, and flexible/alternative settings—while clarifying how students will access extracurriculars, college credits and social supports. For families making decisions this winter, application deadlines and lottery timelines will determine placement for incoming freshmen.
Enrollment and next steps: Application windows are open for Delta, Orion and New Horizons; Orion’s application was reported as open through Feb. 14, and principals said families will be notified of lottery outcomes likely in early March. Orion planners said community and middle-school outreach has included classroom presentations to 8th graders. District staff will finalize transportation routes and Orion’s pickup/drop schedules as the new school establishes operations.
Board President Brown and Superintendent Whitney convened the study session and invited questions from members and a student representative; after the presentation the board moved to an executive session and said it would return for the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
