Mcloughlin Middle School

Mcloughlin Middle School is a public school serving 849 students in grades 6-8 within the Vancouver School District, which faces challenges as it ranks in the bottom third of districts statewide.

Academic performance at Mcloughlin is critically low, consistently placing it in the bottom 1% of all Washington middle schools. In core subjects, only about 15% of students are proficient in English, 10% in math, and 17% in science, which is dramatically lower than both district and state averages. This underperformance is seen across all student groups. The school serves a high-need population, with over 80% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch—the highest rate among nearby middle schools—and this economic challenge is a significant factor, though other area schools with high poverty rates, like Covington Middle School or Cascade Middle School, achieve notably better academic results.

Despite relatively high per-student spending, outcomes have declined over the past decade. There is considerable variation within the district, with schools like Jason Lee Middle School performing better. Furthermore, schools in neighboring districts, such as Shahala Middle School in the Evergreen School District (Clark), spend less per student but achieve proficiency rates over three times higher, suggesting that Mcloughlin's struggles point to systemic issues beyond funding or demographics alone.