Summary:
Highland Middle School is the only middle school in the Highland School District, serving 243 students in grades 6–8 in the Cowiche, Washington area. Families will find a small school with an 18.5-to-1 student–teacher ratio, though this figure may not reflect actual class sizes. About 76.54% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves many families with significant economic needs. Per-student spending was $14,620 in 2023–2024.
Academic results are below state averages in every tested subject. In 2025–2026, English language arts was the strongest overall subject, with 32.88% of students proficient, compared with 43.84% across the district and 52.81% statewide. Science proficiency was 28.05%, just 3.97 percentage points below the district but 22.90 points below the state. Math was the greatest concern, with only 17.89% proficient, including 10.98% in eighth grade. By grade, eighth-grade ELA was the strongest result at 37.80%, while seventh-grade ELA was lower at 26.32%. These results suggest that academic needs differ by grade and subject, making it important for parents to ask about targeted interventions, tutoring, and support for students transitioning into eighth-grade math.
Recent trends are mixed. Math improved slightly from 16.53% to 17.89%, while ELA slipped from 34.31% to 32.88% and science declined from 33.33% to 28.05%. The school is ranked 174th of 238 schools, at the 27th percentile, with a one-star rating. Historical rankings show some improvement in percentile from the 10th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 14th percentile in later entries, but the school remains in the lower portion of its comparison group. Since there is no second middle school in the district for families to compare directly, parents may want to focus on grade-level performance, year-to-year progress, class offerings, staffing stability, attendance, and the academic supports available to individual students.
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