Thank you so much for visiting our website and for your interest in the Deer Park School District!
My name is Mick Miller and I am in my fourth year serving as the District's superintendent. I truly enjoy working in a community that is so supportive of its schools and one in which there are so many dedicated and talented teachers and staff. It is a privilege for me to be here.
The Deer Park School District encompasses the City of Deer Park and stretches north to the Loon Lake and Newport School Districts, west to the Nine Mile Falls and Mary Walker School Districts, east to the Riverside School District and south to the Mead School District. Overall, the District covers approximately 173 square miles and over 9,000 households. Almost two-thirds of District patrons live in rural settings.
Our student population continues on a steady upward pattern, which it has for the past seventeen years. Enrollment in September, 2007 was 2309.95 full time equivalent (FTE) students. This is up from 2278.77 in 2006 and 2040.3 in 2004. It is exciting to be part of both a community and a school system that are growing.
The District consists of five schools, housed in six buildings. Preschoolers through second grade are served at Deer Park Elementary School. Arcadia Elementary School is home to the students in grades three through five and Deer Park Middle School has a grade six through grade eight configuration. Deer Park High School serves students grade nine through grade twelve. Our high school also has an alternative high school program. The fifth school in our District is a parent partner program called “Home-Link.” Students grades K – 12 are served in the A. R. Hegre Building and in the recently remodeled Clayton School, which is on the National Historic Register.
Please see the "Report Card" section at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction's website (http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/) to view our WASL test scores in detail. We are very proud of the improvement in student achievement as chronicled in our test scores. Most recently, DPSD students tested higher than state average in 20 of 25 tests given last spring. We have a long way to go in order to get all of our students to rigorous state averages, but I am so proud of both our students and staff for their efforts.
The community has been very supportive of our schools over the years. Most recently, a $24.2 million bond issue was approved to pay for the expansion and remodel of Deer Park High School. The total project, which will total $42 million, is in the design phase right now and construction is scheduled to begin in September, 2008 and will be completed in January, 2010. A three-year maintenance and operations levy passed with a 65% yes vote in March, 2006.
Deer Park School District is a wonderful size. We are big enough to offer some wonderful academic, special education, and extra curricular programs, yet small enough for us to truly get to know each and every child in our District. Our goal is to build a significant relationship with each student to help the student reach his or her potential.
Thank you again for visiting our website and for your interest in our schools. For those residing in our District, thank you for your support. It is such a pleasure to work with the children in our community, with our staff and with all of you. As one can tell, I am so excited about our District and its future and love to talk about it. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or complaints, I would like to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to call me at 464-5507 or send me an email at millerm@dpsd.org.
