Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center

Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center is one of the minimally staffed four-year high schools in Moses Lake, Washington, part of Moses Lake School District, with 53 students on its rolls from grades 10 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 573 students per school, that is 91% smaller than typical.

Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center is one of 20 schools operated by Moses Lake School District, a district that teaches 8,430 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center reports that Hispanic students make up the majority at 60%. Beyond that, the school records 32% White, 4% Black, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Grant County as a whole is about 44% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center reports 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 4.2:1. The state averages around 21.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 6% of students at Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Grant County runs at roughly 69%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

In the broader community, Grant County reports that median household income runs about $73,267, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 12%. Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center is one of 61 public schools in Grant County (combined enrollment of about 20,494 students).

Vanguard Academy is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center has rose 179%, going from 19 students in 2018 to 53 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 53% to 32% across the same window. Class-load math has widened: from 1.6:1 in 2018 to 4.2:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.