North Thurston Public Schools

North Thurston Public Schools serves about 15,000 students across 24 schools in the Lacey-area community of Washington, including 14 elementary schools, five middle schools, four high schools, and one alternative school serving grades from elementary through high school. The district ranks around the middle of Washington districts overall, but school performance varies considerably. Parents will find strong options at several grade levels, along with notable differences in academic subjects, graduation outcomes, school size, and available data.

Aspire Performing Arts Academy is the district’s strongest overall academic performer, ranking in the 88th state percentile among middle schools and exceeding district and state proficiency rates in English language arts, math, and science. Among elementary schools, Pleasant Glade Elementary stands out for its 72nd-percentile ranking, strong results in all three subjects, and major year-over-year improvement. Evergreen Forest Elementary has the district’s highest elementary science proficiency, while Meadows Elementary is especially strong in English language arts. Middle-school rankings have generally improved, including at Nisqually Middle School, Salish Middle School, and Chinook Middle School.

Math is the clearest districtwide concern, particularly in middle and high school, where traditional high-school proficiency is below 31% despite stronger English language arts results. North Thurston High School has the strongest traditional high-school ranking and excellent English and science results, while Timberline High School leads in graduation rate. River Ridge High School has improving academic results but a comparatively higher dropout rate. Summit Virtual Academy has the weakest completion outcomes and should be considered separately because of its virtual format. Results at small schools such as Ignite Family Academy and Envision Career Academy require caution because some scores are suppressed or based on small cohorts.