Middle Schools in Renton School District

Summary:

This analysis examines four middle schools (grades 6-8) serving 3,080 students within the Renton School District in Washington, a district ranked in the middle of the pack statewide.

Among these schools, Vera Risdon Middle School stands out as the top performer, ranking 156th out of 534 middle schools in the state and achieving the highest test scores in English, math, and science. Dimmitt Middle School shows the most dramatic improvement, climbing 100 ranking positions in two years, while McKnight Middle School is a consistent performer with strong math scores. Nelsen Middle School has faced more challenges, with the lowest math and science proficiency rates in the group.

Overall, the district's middle schools slightly trail state averages in math and more noticeably in English and science, with only Vera Risdon exceeding state benchmarks. There is a wide performance gap between schools, with Vera Risdon's math proficiency being over 21 points higher than Nelsen's. Interestingly, higher per-student spending does not directly correlate with higher test scores in this group, as Dimmitt has the highest spending but not the highest scores, suggesting factors beyond funding significantly impact success.

District Detail

300 SW 7th St
Renton, WA 98057

(425) 204-2300

SchoolDigger Rank:
133^rd of 247 Washington districts

See the 2025 Washington District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 14,873

Primary Schools: 16
Middle Schools: 4
High Schools: 6
Alternative Schools: 4

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)		SBAC English Language Arts (2025)				SBAC Math (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Nelsen Middle School	Public	6-8	2403 Jones Ave S	Renton	98055	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 204-3000	913	42	21.5	58.5%	178 (19.5%)	145 (15.9%)	243 (26.6%)	242 (26.5%)	3 (0.3%)	17 (1.9%)	85 (9.3%)	25.4	412^th of 534 public middle schools	22.8%		32	360^th of 535 public middle schools	32.7%	52	32.6	32.6	38.0	39.1	38.5	38.6	24.5	32.5	23.5	27.0	$17,952	$1,015	$16,938
McKnight Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 Edmonds Ave NE	Renton	98056	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 204-3600	811	38	21.2	49.0%	157 (19.4%)	75 (9.2%)	297 (36.6%)	202 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	75 (9.2%)	51	238^th of 534 public middle schools	55.4%		54	224^th of 535 public middle schools	58.1%	14	39.9	39.9	47.4	49.2	48.2	48.2	38.5	50.0	42.4	43.5	$18,740	$1,579	$17,161
Dimmitt Middle School	Public	6-8	12320 80th Ave S	Seattle	98178	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(425) 204-2800	605	34	17.5	62.3%	64 (10.6%)	141 (23.3%)	172 (28.4%)	157 (26.0%)	4 (0.7%)	21 (3.5%)	46 (7.6%)	28	390^th of 534 public middle schools	27.0%		13.4	477^th of 535 public middle schools	10.8%	87	34.0	34.0	41.9	35.4	41.3	39.7	31.7	26.9	27.0	28.6	$21,054	$2,276	$18,778
Vera Risdon Middle School	Public	6-8	6928 116th Ave SE	Newcastle	98056	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 204-2700	751	34	21.8	39.3%	191 (25.4%)	49 (6.5%)	205 (27.3%)	209 (27.8%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	89 (11.9%)	66.9	156^th of 534 public middle schools	70.8%		66.1	164^th of 535 public middle schools	69.3%	8	48.7	48.7	48.8	63.9	62.9	58.5	42.9	57.1	44.4	48.3	$18,281	$1,158	$17,123

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Kent School District	0.51 mi	46	159^th
Ashe Preparatory Academy	0.54 mi	1
Impact \| Black River Elementary	1.11 mi	1
Puget Sound Educational Service District 121	3.4 mi	1
Renton Technical College	3.83 mi	3

See the top WA Washington districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.