If you have school-aged children when you are looking for your new home, you’ll want to investigate the local schools and their boundaries. If you are the family that needs land for horses, want to grow a huge garden, need a small vineyard for wine grapes, or simply prefer your neighbors not be right next door…then you may consider looking at Finley, Burbank, or Kiona-Benton. These small communities offer schools that will educate your children from prekindergarten through high school.
Kiona-Benton
Just outside of West Richland, part of the Richland School District, lies the city of Kiona-Benton. It is rich in agriculture, particularly viticulture. All three schools are along the main drag and the elementary and middle schools share grounds. Approximately 1,474 students attend school at Kiona-Benton City schools (commonly known as Ki-Be). Ki-Be High School, with a Bear for a mascot, boasts a 92% graduation rate on niche.com.
Burbank
Like Kiona-Benton, there is an outlying city just outside of Pasco called Burbank. While this rural town has less of a “city feel” with restaurants and stores, it has an excellent school system from elementary through high school. Like Kiona-Benton City, all of the schools share the same name in Burbank. The district is comprised of Columbia Elementary, Columbia Middle School, and Columbia High School. All three are on Maple St, just off of Highway 12. These three schools have 763 students.
Finley
Just outside of Kennewick is the agricultural area of Finley. As with the previous two small towns, Finley offers public schools for students of all ages. The town has large industrial sites and plenty of farmland for those wanting wide open living spaces. Finley Elementary is on Cougar Rd., Finley Middle School on S. Finley Road, and River View High School is on Lemon Dr. The high school has 337 students in grades 9-12.
All three of the high schools of Kiona-Benton, Burbank, and Finley play in the 1A athletic league and all three are competitive, frequently making play-offs. So, if you’re looking for affordable homes with plentiful land and space for your family to grow, you can find it in the outer lying areas surrounding Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco.
