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Olympia Regional Learning Academy

Olympia, WA 98501

Phone: (360) 596-7730
Fax: (360) 596-7731
District: Olympia School District

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GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades KG,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 • 640 students

Olympia Regional Learning Academy, a public school located in Olympia, WA, serves grades K-12 in the Olympia School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 6 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Olympia Regional Learning Academy is a public school located in Olympia, WA. 640 students attend Olympia Regional Learning Academy.

School Ratings

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	8/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Smarter Balanced Assessment data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and using 2025 Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
College Readiness	1/10	The College Readiness Rating uses this high school's graduation rates, college entrance exam participation and performance, or AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment participation to determine how well schools are preparing students for success in college and beyond. The College Readiness Rating was created using 2017 Average SAT score data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, using the following data from the 2021 Civil Rights Data Collection: percentage of students enrolled in IB, AP or Dual Enrollment classes in grades 9-12, using 2025 4-year high school graduation rate data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and using 2026 demographic data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Student Growth	7/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Posted: October 10, 2025

This school has changed a lot over the past few years and unfortunately not for the better. The quality of teaching and communication has noticeably declined. Many of the talented teachers who once made this school great have moved on. The few strong educators who remain seem to be doing their best without consistent support from leadership.
Academically, the classrooms feel less engaging than they used to be. Theres more reliance on screens and less hands-on or creative learning. Some of the new elective or enrichment classes appear to be repackaged versions of old ones without much added value. It feels like the focus has shifted away from real educational growth.

Communication from administration has been another ongoing concern. Its often difficult to reach the principal directly and when issues are brought up, parents can be passed from one staff member to another without clear answers or follow-up. Several families Ive spoken to have experienced similar frustration.

Theres been a noticeable turnover among counselors which affects steady support for many students. Meanwhile, there continues to be a strong focus on volunteer hours and participation numbers that gives the impression that the schools public image matters more than meaningful progress.

I wasnt planning to write this review, but after hearing a substitute teacher independently mention the same challenges my family has observed, I felt it was important to share our experience. This school has potential, but meaningful change will require stronger leadership, better teacher support, and a renewed focus on genuine learning.

Posted: October 10, 2025

Posted: February 25, 2024

My daughter has been attending ORLA for her sophomore year. She feels the environment is fun, engaged, positive and honoring of various learning styles and needs. While we wish it were more ethnically and culturally diverse, we do appreciate the neurodiversity, gender diversity (not just girl/boy), and socioeconomic diversity. This is an interesting blend of alternative school, home school and traditional public school. I love the mission, really addresses a need in the community where kids might otherwise fall through the cracks. The class offerings are a good mix of core classes and fun electives like yearbook/media production, pottery, and theater. We have seen our daughter thriving academically and the monthly progress accountability checks seem to help. She is a self-motivated learner and I do wonder how kids who are not self-starters are able to keep up with assignments as it does seem like there may be some wasted instructional time while the class goofs off (social time?) and there ends up being a lot of homework time needed at home as a result. But that might not be the case for all kids - mine tends to get caught up in having fun with friends. To be honest, this is tipping the scales for my kiddo in a direction she needed after missing out socially during the pandemic and following years. Overall we are quite happy with our experience here and wish we could have enrolled her earlier and lived closer so we could be more involved in the school community.

Posted: February 25, 2024

Posted: December 7, 2021

My daughter is a kindergartner in the Montessori program and she LOVES it. Shes ahead by a couple grades in most areas and shes able to participate in first and second grader lessons on class.

Posted: December 7, 2021

Posted: December 2, 2021

DO NOT send your child to this school. Its hard when the biggest bullies in the school are the teachers! My daughter went to this school and hated every minute of it. She has always loved school but the teachers were so mean to her at this school we had no choice but to make a change. She is now at a different school and is back to her smiling happy self.

Posted: December 2, 2021