On March 28, Superintendent Steve Marshall sent out a “By the Numbers” letter to staff and families summarizing some number-based spotlights across the district. His Spring 2025 update is below:
Dear HSD Community:
The arrival of spring signals the start of the season’s signature events and activities: Spring Sports, Spring Break, Spring Musical, and Spring Concerts, to name a few. Spring also ushers in some memorable transitions, including TK Graduation, 5th Grade celebrations, 8th Grade promotion, and Graduation.
Yes. Spring is a busy time of year and while I realize numbers only tell part of the story, they do an efficient job of conveying what is going on in our schools during the second half of the 2024-25 school year, aka the
155th year of the Hockinson School District.
Hockinson’s first public school was established in June 1870.
You see where I am going with this? Here are some additional number-based storylines from the HSD:
100
As in 100%. Thanks to grants and our involvement in Clark Public Utilities’ Strategic Energy Management program, HSD buildings are nearly 100% LED.
110,000
kWh saved since September 2023
$422,873
HSD’s insurance premium for the 2024-25 school year.
$189,720
2021-22 insurance premium.
$592,022
Estimated 2025-26 insurance premium. As we have in past years, our district is comparing the coverage and prices from different insurance carriers…but these increases are industry-wide.
3
The HMS Jazz Ensemble finished 3rd at the 61st Clark College Jazz Festival!
7
Number of HHES and HMS student teams that participated in the Solar Car Challenge, sponsored by Clark Public Utilities.
1,069
Total number of students and staff at Hockinson Heights Elementary, the district’s largest school by enrollment.
153
Number of students who took the PSAT this year, up from 152 last year and 100 in 2023.
.314
No. Not pi. The percentage of HHS students participating in a spring sport (baseball, softball, boys & girls track, girls tennis, boys soccer, and girls golf), which is 31.4% of the HHS student body!
18 winter sport athletes who earned GSHL All-League honors.
48 winter sport athletes who earned WIAA Scholar-Athlete awards.
2 winter sports teams received WIAA Outstanding (Average Team GPA of 3.5-4.0) Team Awards: Girls & Boys Basketball and 2 received WIAA Distinguished (Average Team GPA 3.0-3.49) Team Awards: Boys Swimming & Boys Wrestling.
169
Number of HHS students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, up from 132 last year and 95 in 2023.
65%
AP Exam pass rate - the highest in the past 5 years. At most universities, passing an AP test qualifies students to earn credit for, or waive, an equivalent college class.
52
Number of students forecasted to enroll in one of Cascadia Tech’s 18 career preparation programs next fall.
73
Number of students who made the 1st Semester Honor Roll (3.5-3.749 GPA)
197
Number of students who qualified for the Principal’s 1st Semester Honor Roll (3.75-4 GPA)
$60,000+
Total amount of scholarships to be awarded by the Hockinson Public Schools Foundation this spring.
$15,000
Amount raised by Sarah Dunn for five $3,000 scholarships for the Class of 2025. Seniors, the application deadline for this and all other Foundation scholarships is Tuesday, April 8! Apply here.
89,423
Number of HSD student meals purchased so far this year, including just around 3,000 slices of pizza.
54,273
Number of meals purchased at this time last year
$0
Cost for student vaccinations on Sat. May 31 Fun Days. This service has been eliminated by federal budget reductions and ends on June 30, prior to the HHES Back-to-School event. While getting vaccinated may not count as “fun,” it’s important for student and school health for the 2025-26 school year.
9
In terms of dollars spent per student - calculated by dividing a school district’s total budget by its number of students - Hockinson’s spending ($16,010) was #9 out of the ten TK-12 school districts in Clark County. The county’s average cost-per student was $17,594.
2
According to OSPI test data released earlier this winter, Hockinson students’ 2024 Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) scores were second highest in the county.
Here are the testing dates for this year’s English & Math SBA and WashingtonComprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS):
HHES: May 12-19, 2025 & May 27-30, 2025
WCAS: May 6-8, 2025 (5th grade only)
HMS: May 12-23, 2025
WCAS: May 27-28 (8th grade only)
HHS: April 21-25, 2025 & May 19-22, 2025
WCAS: April 25, 2025 & May 20-21, 2025 (11th grade only)
And congratulations to the HHS Jazz Band, which recently finished #2 in 5A Division (classification includes schools nearly 2x HHS enrollment!) at the Clackamas Jazz Festival.
23
HSD is ranked #23 among 247 school districts by School Digger and has performed better on the SBA than 91% of Washington school districts every year since 2021.
4,031
Total number of views of the March 5 and March 21 HSD News Round-Ups. This is up from the 1,171 views of our March 16 and March 29, 2024 Round-Up newsletters. Thank you for making the time to stay current with what’s going on in our schools!
26%
Percentage of school days left in the 2024-25 school calendar (!)
This list reflects only a sample of the diverse programs, activities, and accomplishments in our district. We could not offer many of these opportunities without the support of our levy, volunteers, and community, nor could we make the most of these opportunities without our dedicated staff and students. Thank you for all you do to lift our students and schools to new heights.
Have a wonderful Spring Break, everyone. It is well deserved!
Sincerely,
Steve Marshall
Superintendent