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Bethel Middle School

Q: Is Bethel Middle School a good school?

Bethel Middle School ranks 289 th of 514 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

289^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 514 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 44% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Bethel Middle School is a public school serving 661 students in grades 6–8 in Spanaway, Washington, within the Bethel School District. Located near several other district middle schools, it offers useful local comparisons for families. The school ranks in the 44th percentile statewide for 2025–26, an improvement from the low 20th percentile in 2020–21. Its 20.8-to-1 student-teacher ratio and $17,482 in per-student spending are broadly typical for nearby schools, while 63.54% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academic results are improving but remain below district and state averages. Bethel’s proficiency rates are 46.51% in English language arts, 30.96% in math, and 39.88% in science. Math is the clearest concern: the school trails the district by more than 7 percentage points and has especially low results in sixth and seventh grades. Eighth grade is a relative strength, with 50.75% proficiency in ELA—slightly above the district—and 34.52% in math, above the district’s eighth-grade rate. Science has shown the strongest recent growth, increasing from 32.30% in 2022–23 to 39.88% in 2025–26.

Compared with nearby schools, Bethel currently ranks below Spanaway Middle School, Cougar Mountain Middle School, Frontier Middle School, and Liberty Middle School, but it performs clearly better than Cedarcrest Middle School. Spanaway is an important math comparison, with 42.51% proficiency, while Cougar Mountain leads nearby schools in overall ranking and science. Overall, Bethel appears to be making steady progress, with the greatest opportunity in strengthening math instruction and supporting students during the first two middle-school years.

661

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,482

Per pupil spending ?

63.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

22201 38th Avenue East
Spanaway, WA 98387-6827

(253) 800-7200

District: Bethel School District

Students who attend Bethel Middle School usually attend:

High:

Bethel High School

Feeder schools for Bethel Middle School:

Elementary:	North Star Elementary
	Shining Mountain Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.5%

Hispanic:

26.6%

Two or more races:

19.4%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Bethel Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (39% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Math scores 12 pts below the Washington average

!Near the bottom of Bethel School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg44%

Washington avg48%

289^th of 514

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Middle Schools in the Bethel School District

116^th of 238Bethel School District among Washington districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	289 of 514	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.7	314 of 534	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.2	326 of 535	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	368 of 539	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.0	417 of 541	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	424 of 529	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	388 of 512	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.5	310 of 437	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.6	338 of 435	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.1	320 of 443	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.3	260 of 445	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.2	299 of 498	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.1	344 of 497	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	26.6	386 of 492	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	42.6	292 of 483	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.2	306 of 476	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.7	275 of 466	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.3	300 of 463	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	33.3	329 of 449	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	33.3	307 of 425	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	44.4	246 of 421	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	58 of 100	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.6	43 of 101	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.5	48 of 90	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.8	75 of 96	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.9	39 of 104	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.0	55 of 106	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.8	36 of 111	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.4	14 of 66	78.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	26.0	104 of 145	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	89 of 123	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	56 of 143	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	39.2	268 of 443	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.8	276 of 471	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.6	265 of 464	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	344 of 464	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	368 of 479	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	372 of 469	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.9	361 of 452	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	265 of 376	29.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	58.2	123 of 347	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.5	213 of 347	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	158 of 344	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.3	122 of 336	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.3	239 of 360	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.8	216 of 353	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.6	188 of 344	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.8	146 of 259	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	51.8	22 of 59	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	54.3	188 of 453	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.7	192 of 457	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.8	215 of 455	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.1	238 of 463	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.7	327 of 475	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	313 of 458	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	263 of 448	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	240 of 349	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	39.7	267 of 454	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.0	305 of 472	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	323 of 466	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	317 of 470	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.5	384 of 480	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	386 of 476	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	324 of 453	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	269 of 371	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	30 of 43	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	34 of 46	26.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.8	37 of 40	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	39.9	33 of 51	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.6	12 of 44	72.7%	★★★★☆
2019	33.7	39 of 50	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	46.5	121 of 222	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	134 of 246	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	181 of 243	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	181 of 244	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	196 of 257	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.8	179 of 250	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.4	200 of 246	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	124 of 166	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	71.3	3 of 15	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	62.9	4 of 10	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.6	1 of 10	90.0%	★★★★★
2023	33.5	5 of 6	16.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	22.0	19 of 20	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	44.5	10 of 19	47.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	95.1	2 of 31	93.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	108 of 226	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.6	129 of 186	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.9	196 of 210	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	218 of 231	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	37.8	149 of 268	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	293 of 453	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.3	268 of 488	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	318 of 486	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.1	385 of 488	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	417 of 488	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.1	459 of 480	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	419 of 470	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	291 of 325	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Pacific Islander (2026)80th percentile+36 vs school

Hispanic (2026)65th percentile+21 vs school

Homeless (2019)63rd percentile+38 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)61st percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)58th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)45th percentile~ school

African American (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)41st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)40th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)35th percentile-8 vs school

Military Connected (2025)30th percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2023)28th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts47%-6 vs state

Science40%-11 vs state

Math31%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bethel Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)		SBAC English Language Arts (2026)				SBAC Math (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Bethel Middle School	Public	6-8	22201 38th Avenue East	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-7200	661	32	20.8	63.5%	228 (34.5%)	51 (7.7%)	176 (26.6%)	19 (2.9%)	4 (0.6%)	55 (8.3%)	128 (19.4%)	40.4	289^th of 514 public middle schools	43.8%		38.7	314^th of 534 public middle schools	41.2%	25	39.9	39.9	40.4	49.0	50.8	46.5	29.3	29.4	34.5	31.0	$17,482	$938	$16,544
Liberty Middle School	Public	6-8	7319 Eustis-Hunt Rd E	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-6500	857	41	21.1	54.0%	306 (35.7%)	97 (11.3%)	186 (21.7%)	53 (6.2%)	7 (0.8%)	52 (6.1%)	154 (18.0%)	45.2	268^th of 514 public middle schools	47.9%		33.4	351^st of 534 public middle schools	34.3%	83	45.6	45.6	44.4	50.7	51.5	48.8	29.5	34.8	31.4	31.9	$16,330	$1,035	$15,295
Cedarcrest Middle School	Public	6-8	191201 13th Avenue Crt. E.	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-7500	765	35	21.7	62.6%	191 (25.0%)	107 (14.0%)	174 (22.7%)	60 (7.8%)	5 (0.7%)	59 (7.7%)	169 (22.1%)	24	392^nd of 514 public middle schools	23.7%		21.2	433^rd of 534 public middle schools	18.9%	41	27.3	27.3	38.4	45.5	32.6	39.0	26.1	27.6	17.4	24.0	$17,358	$1,243	$16,115
Cougar Mountain Middle School	Public	6-8	5108 260th St. East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-8000	605	29	20.7	50.4%	366 (60.5%)	9 (1.5%)	129 (21.3%)	10 (1.7%)	8 (1.3%)	7 (1.2%)	75 (12.4%)	51.4	224^th of 514 public middle schools	56.4%		45.7	270^th of 534 public middle schools	49.4%	46	54.2	54.2	41.5	54.8	56.3	50.8	30.9	39.0	30.9	33.8	$19,696	$1,833	$17,863
Frontier Middle School	Public	6-8	22110 108th Avenue East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-8300	620	30	20.8	49.0%	346 (55.8%)	29 (4.7%)	104 (16.8%)	21 (3.4%)	10 (1.6%)	16 (2.6%)	94 (15.2%)	45.7	263^rd of 514 public middle schools	48.8%		41.4	296^th of 534 public middle schools	44.6%	33	44.7	44.7	54.3	49.7	40.6	48.5	33.2	37.6	29.6	33.5	$17,266	$1,265	$16,001
Spanaway Middle School	Public	6-8	15701 B Street East	Tacoma	98445	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-5400	766	34	22.5	67.8%	206 (26.9%)	72 (9.4%)	248 (32.4%)	28 (3.7%)	10 (1.3%)	68 (8.9%)	134 (17.5%)	52.6	219^th of 514 public middle schools	57.4%		44.6	279^th of 534 public middle schools	47.8%	60	43.5	43.5	42.1	49.0	50.4	47.2	44.7	49.0	33.5	42.5	$16,638	$1,318	$15,320
Doris Stahl Junior High	Public	6-10	9610 168th St E	Puyallup	98375	Pierce County	Puyallup School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 840-8881	846	38	22.1	45.9%	365 (43.1%)	70 (8.3%)	180 (21.3%)	67 (7.9%)	4 (0.5%)	31 (3.7%)	124 (14.7%)	57.6	193^rd of 514 public middle schools	62.5%		57.4	203^rd of 534 public middle schools	62.0%	10	49.5	49.5		60.8	48.9	54.7		43.1	34.7	38.8	$15,842	$1,002	$14,840
Glacier View Junior High	Public	7-9	12807 184th St E	Puyallup	98374	Pierce County	Puyallup School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 435-6827	843	39	21.8	45.2%	392 (46.5%)	81 (9.6%)	154 (18.3%)	69 (8.2%)	10 (1.2%)	18 (2.1%)	118 (14.0%)	52.5	220^th of 514 public middle schools	57.2%		51	237^th of 534 public middle schools	55.6%	17	41.2	41.2		54.8	51.6	53.2		44.0	33.7	38.9	$15,833	$623	$15,210
Ballou Junior High	Public	7-9	9916 136th St E	Puyallup	98373	Pierce County	Puyallup School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 841-8725	852	39	21.9	49.4%	381 (44.7%)	73 (8.6%)	172 (20.2%)	55 (6.5%)	10 (1.2%)	31 (3.6%)	129 (15.1%)	53.9	215^th of 514 public middle schools	58.2%		53.5	225^th of 534 public middle schools	57.9%	10	54.1	54.1		51.7	57.8	54.7		33.2	31.8	32.4	$15,904	$525	$15,379
Perry G Keithley Middle School	Public	6-8	12324 12th Ave S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 298-4307	804	45	17.8	68.8%	195 (24.3%)	92 (11.4%)	266 (33.1%)	38 (4.7%)	8 (1.0%)	79 (9.8%)	126 (15.7%)	8.3	489^th of 514 public middle schools	4.9%		8	510^th of 534 public middle schools	4.5%	21	19.3	19.3	26.4	22.5	25.9	24.9	13.3	14.5	14.1	14.0	$19,335	$1,860	$17,475

Frequently Asked Questions about Bethel Middle School

What high school do graduates of Bethel Middle School attend?

Students who attend Bethel Middle School usually go on to attend Bethel High School

What district is Bethel Middle School in?

Bethel School District

How many students attend Bethel Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 661 students attended Bethel Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Bethel Middle School?

Students at Bethel Middle School are 34% White, 27% Hispanic, 19% Two or more races, 8% Pacific Islander, 8% African American, 3% Asian.

Is Bethel Middle School a good school?

Bethel Middle School ranks 289^th of 514 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Bethel Middle School!

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2016–17 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 8, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

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.