Summary:
Pasco School District has four public middle schools serving grades 6–8: Ray Reynolds Middle School, Mcloughlin Middle School, Stevens Middle School, and Ellen Ochoa Middle School. Together, they enroll about 4,252 students in the Pasco area. Academic performance varies considerably across the schools. The district ranks in the lower portion of Washington districts, but some schools perform notably better than others, giving families meaningful differences to consider.
Ray Reynolds Middle School is the clear academic leader. It has the highest 2025–26 proficiency in English language arts, math, and science, exceeding district averages in all three subjects. It also has the highest state ranking and improved its percentile over the past three years. Mcloughlin Middle School is generally the second-strongest option, performing above the district in English and science but slightly below it in math. Mcloughlin’s 7th- and 8th-grade English results are particular strengths. Science improved at both of these schools compared with the prior year, while math remained a challenge.
Stevens Middle School and Ellen Ochoa Middle School have the lowest proficiency results and require the most academic attention. Math is especially weak: Stevens’ 8th-grade math proficiency is just 8.42%, while Ochoa’s 6th-grade math result is 8.10%. Ochoa does show gradual improvement in math from 6th through 8th grade, and science improved there last year. Across the district, math is the greatest concern, while science is the clearest area of recent improvement. Spending and student-teacher ratios do not closely match achievement, so families should look beyond those measures and consider each school’s academic results and grade-level strengths.
Thank you for your feedback!