2025/2026 Application is now ready.

Application for early acceptance are due by May 15th. Students /Families will be notified by early June.

APPLY TODAY!

We invite interested students to visit our campus and spend the day with us as a PCIA Owl for a Day! Prospective students can visit our school, interact with instructors and current PCIA students, and experience rigorous learning in small class sizes.

New Student Intake Process

Intake Interview: Interested students and their parent(s)/guardian(s) will meet with the Principal and/or the Vice Principal as an opportunity for an Inquiry & Information Session with the purpose of generating interest and educating families about our school.

Please call the school office (509-538-2522) to schedule the Intake Interview.

Campus Tour: We invite interested students to visit our campus and spend the day with us as a PCIA Owl for a Day! Prospective students can visit our school, interact with instructors and current PCIA students, and experience rigorous learning in small class sizes.

PCIA Academic Expectations

• Grade 9 = pre-requisite courses 

• Grade 10–12 = 100-200 level college-in-high school courses

• 1+ hour of out of class study for every hour spent in class for all CiHS courses

• Attendance and participation CRITICAL to success

• Self-Motivation and perseverance

• Strong work ethic

Good organizational and time management strategies 

Essay: Prospective students must provide an essay responding to provided prompts in which they introduce themselves personally (interests, values, etc.) and identify how their personal and academic goals align with PCIA. 

Review of Student Academic History: The Building Leadership Team will review student’s previous academic records and transcripts. Pacific Crest Innovation Academy may decline to enroll a student whose academic performance or disciplinary records indicate the student would not be successful in the Pacific Crest Innovation Academy program

• Student application form

• Student essay

• Report cards/transcripts (last 2 years)

• Standardized test scores

• IEP or 504 plan (if applicable)

  
  

Admission Determination: Students will be notified by phone call or email if they are preliminarily accepted into the PCIA program.

If accepted into the PCIA Program:

• Registration forms completed.  Forms available at the Front Office.  

  • *If out of district, submit a choice transfer request form to the resident district office.

• Final academic review once all official documents have been received. 

• Draft course schedule prepared with Vice Principal/PCIA academic advisor.

•  Attend a welcome event for new students and families.

•  Attend start-of-year programming to ensure a smooth transition.

• Students must be under 21 years of age.

• Students cannot hold a high school degree or diploma.

• Students must meet general admissions standards set forth in the PCIA enrollment policy.

• Priority will be given to students who reside in Mill A School District or Mount Pleasant School District. Students who reside in other school districts in the state of Washington may be admitted on a space-available basis.

• Students in grade 9 will take freshmen-level prerequisite courses.

• Students in grades 10-12 will be eligible to take college credit courses.

• Students must plan on spending an average of 1-4 hours on homework each day.

• Attendance and participation are critical to students’ success.

• Self-motivation, self-discipline, and perseverance are key characteristics of academically-minded students.

• Students must also possess a strong work ethic, as well as good organizational skills and time management strategies.

• Students may have a job or participate in extracurricular activities, however, we highly encourage the student and his/her learning team work to create a well-balanced schedule and time management plan.

College-in-the-High-School-FAQs

1. WHAT IS College-in-the-High-School (CiHS)? Pacific Crest Innovation Academy has partnered with Clark College to provide college level academic courses in its high school program. As a result, eligible high school students may earn high school and college credit simultaneously, without ever leaving the PCIA facility, if they master the material at a college level. 

2. HOW DOES A STUDENT BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR CiHS? To be eligible for the CiHS portion of a course, student must complete a register with affiliated colleges or Universities demonstrating proficiency in English or Math, as applicable, must satisfy any prerequisite requirements.

3. ARE PACIFIC CREST INNOVATION ACADEMY INSTRUCTORS COLLEGE PROFESSORS? Yes, all full-time PCIA instructors are qualified as adjunct professors for the college/university they represent. Lower Columbia College, Eastern Washington and Clark College  provides PCIA instructors with training and orientation that includes course curriculum, assessment criteria, course philosophy and CiHS administrative requirements. All partner colleges evaluate PCIA instructors according to its college faculty evaluation procedures. 

4. WHAT CiHS COURSES DOES PACIFIC CREST INNOVATION ACADEMY OFFER? Most Pacific Crest Innovation Academy classes beginning sophomore year are taught at the academic level of the corresponding college course. Eligible students who master the material at the college level will earn college credit for the course. See PCIA course catalog for details. 

5. IS THERE A COST TO STUDENTS FOR CiHS CREDITS? There is no cost to students for CiHS credits.

6. HOW DO STUDENTS EARN COLLEGE CREDITS? Eligible students who master CiHS course material at a college level and are enrolled in the college level course will earn college credits. Some students may not earn any college credits, while others may earn college credits in every CiHS course.  

7. DO STUDENTS HAVE TO CHOOSE CiHS BEFORE THE CLASS STARTS? Yes. Students may opt out of the CiHS portion of a class based on the student’s performance on the mid-term exam. A student who does not participate in the CiHS portion of a class will still earn high school credit for the class. 

8. HOW DOES CiHS BENEFIT STUDENTS? Students who earn college credit in high school are more likely to graduate from high school, are more likely to enroll in college, and are more likely to complete a college degree. 

9. WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE? Pacific Crest Innovation Academy instructors are available to tutor students in various study halls who need additional instruction to master course material at a college level. PCIA students also have access to a variety of learning tools online using their PCIA laptop, and CiHS students may use college/university facilities, including the college/university library and tutoring services for the colleges/universities they are registered with.

10. IF A STUDENT EARNS CiHS CREDITS, ARE THEY A COLLEGE OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT? A student who earns CiHS credits is both a Pacific Crest Innovation Academy high school student and a college student. Policies regarding student performance and classroom behavior apply to all PCIA CiHS courses.

11. WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE COLLEGE CREDITS? Each college/university will maintain a transcript with all of the CiHS credits a student earns at their institute. A PCIA student who masters every PCIA CiHS course at the college level may earn enough credits to receive an Associate of Arts  transfer degree from Lower Columbia College. This transfer degree satisfies the first two years of college requirements at most public colleges and universities in the state of Washington. A student who continues their education at a college or university will get credit for the lower-division general education requirements and will generally be given junior standing.   

A PCIA student who masters one or more CiHS courses at the college level may continue their education at many of the colleges/universities we partner with or transfer their credits any other college or university. These credits will apply toward degree requirements at the institution of their choice. Even if a student does not continue their education beyond PCIA, they may include their college credits on their resume. Demonstrating mastery of material at a college level may be an advantage in the job market. Some careers require a minimum number of college credits even if they do not require a college degree.

12. WILL CiHS CLASSES APPEAR ON MY HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT? If you earn CiHS credits in a class, the credits will appear on both your PCIA high school and college transcripts. 

13. ARE CiHS COURSES DIFFERENT THAN HIGH SCHOOL COURSES? At Pacific Crest Innovation Academy, most courses beginning the sophomore year are designed to be consistent with their college counterparts. Whether a student earns only high school credits or dual high school and college credits, the course is the same. Every eligible CiHS course uses the curriculum selected by the college, follows the syllabus, uses the tests, and conforms to the course description provided by the college. Students earning CiHS will be evaluated using the same standards applied by the college, while students earning only high school credit will be evaluated using traditional, high school standards.  

14. HOW IS CiHS DIFFERENT FROM RUNNING START? 

Location: To earn college credit through Running Start, students must attend college classes online or at the college facility. To earn college credit through CiHS, students attend classes at PCIA’s facility.

Flexibility: Running Start students must determine in advance whether they will be successful in a college class. If they enroll in a college class and do not master the material at a college level, they must withdraw from the course. They do not earn high school credit for the class even if they mastered the material at a high school level, and the withdrawal appears on their college transcript, which may negatively impact their college GPA.

Students who are not enrolled in the CiHS portion, and students who are enrolled but later drop the CiHS portion because their performance declines, will still earn high school credit for the course. 

Timing: Student may not earn college credits through Running Start until 11th grade, and 

the college classes they enroll in are on the standard college schedule. A quarter credit of college material, for example, is covered in 12 weeks.  

Students may earn college credits through CiHS as early as 9th grade, and the college classes they enroll in are on an extended high school schedule. A quarter credit of college material, for example, is covered in 18 weeks. This is an advantage for every student, including students who are highly capable and want to accelerate the pace of their education, and students who are motivated but require additional time to master material at the college level.