Odyssey—The Essential School, a small academy on SeaTac’s Tyee High campus, was among 57 state schools on a list of persistently lowest-achieving schools that was released by State Superintendent Randy Dorn on Dec. 19.

It was singled out for its low graduation rate. Odyssey was also on Dorn’s list last year. The Highline School Board opted not to apply for a federal school improvement grant for Odyssey.

Chinook Midddle in SeaTac and Cascade Middle in White Center are receiving the special federal improvement grant funds designed to help persistently low achieving schools.

State Superintendent Randy Dorn released a list of the schools in Washington state that face the some of the toughest challenges when it comes to student success.

As required by Revised Code of Washington 28A.657.020, the list is composed of the five percent of schools receiving or eligible to receive federal Title I funds that are identified as the “persistently lowest-achieving schools” in the state.

This year, 57 schools from 38 districts were identified.

The process of identifying the schools began in 2010, with the introduction of the federal School Improvement Grants. That year, the 47 named schools were given a chance to apply for grants ranging from $50,000 to $2 million. As a state, Washington received $17 million.

For the 2012-13 school year, however, no additional federal school improvement grants to support newly identified schools/districts will be available.

“State law requires us to put out this list,” said Randy Dorn, superintendent of public instruction. “But that law was also based on the assumption that schools would receive more funding in order to improve. To me, it’s completely unfair to call out these schools without giving them additional resources, but that is the world we live in now.”

Dorn explained that, of the 57 schools, only four have fewer than 50 percent of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. “These schools are dealing with very challenging populations,” he said. “I know we’re in the middle of an economic crisis, but the past three years the Legislature has chiseled away at basic education resources. Those schools – in fact, all schools – need additional resources.”

Schools on the list are identified using a variety of factors, such as the school’s average state test scores in reading and math from 2009 to 2011, the school’s graduation rates and whether the school has meet the federal Adequate Yearly Progress requirements.