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Spanaway Middle School

Q: Is Spanaway Middle School a good school?

Spanaway Middle School ranks 219 th of 514 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

219^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 514 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 57% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Spanaway Middle School is a public school in Tacoma serving 766 students in grades 6–8 through the Bethel School District. The school serves a relatively high-need community, with 67.75% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Its 2025–26 ranking is 219th out of 514 Washington middle schools, placing it in the 57th percentile, with a three-star rating. That is a notable improvement from the 1-star, low-percentile results reported during much of the late 2010s and early 2020s.

The school’s clearest academic strength is mathematics. In 2025–26, 42.51% of students were proficient in math, ahead of Liberty Middle School, Bethel Middle School, and Cedarcrest Middle School. Sixth- and seventh-grade math were especially strong, exceeding both district and state rates. However, eighth-grade math fell to 33.48%, making it an important area to monitor. English language arts proficiency was 47.18%, competitive with nearby Bethel schools but below the statewide rate. Science proficiency reached 43.53%, a substantial increase from 31.80% in 2022–23, although it still trails Washington’s 50.95% rate.

Compared with nearby schools, Spanaway currently ranks above all three other Bethel middle schools and is close to Doris Stahl Junior High and Ballou Junior High in statewide standing. Doris Stahl and Ballou have stronger ELA and science results, while Spanaway has the advantage in all-grade math. The school also shows strong effectiveness for low-income, Hispanic, military-connected, and Pacific Islander students, though subgroup rankings are not direct proficiency rates. With a 22.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio, Spanaway’s upward trajectory is encouraging; its main opportunities are strengthening ELA and science and maintaining math performance through eighth grade.

766

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,638

Per pupil spending ?

67.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

15701 B Street East
Tacoma, WA 98445-1198

(253) 800-5400

District: Bethel School District

Students who attend Spanaway Middle School usually attend:

High:

Spanaway Lake High School

Feeder schools for Spanaway Middle School:

Elementary:	Chester H Thompson Elementary
	Naches Trail Elementary
	Spanaway Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

32.4%

White:

26.9%

Two or more races:

17.5%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Spanaway Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 34 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Bethel School District

✓Above the Washington median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg44%

Washington avg48%

219^th of 514

Washington public middle schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 34 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	52.6	219 of 514	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.6	279 of 534	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.6	250 of 535	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.4	277 of 539	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.3	253 of 541	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.6	419 of 529	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	431 of 512	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	339 of 437	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.0	333 of 435	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.5	339 of 443	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.3	331 of 445	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.9	393 of 498	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.1	405 of 497	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	41.5	315 of 492	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	21.4	408 of 483	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	28.6	374 of 476	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.1	348 of 466	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	15.9	417 of 463	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	11.4	417 of 449	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	26.8	338 of 425	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	17.1	369 of 421	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	42 of 100	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.8	39 of 101	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	29 of 90	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	83.7	11 of 96	88.5%	★★★★☆
2022	48.4	44 of 104	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.2	69 of 106	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.2	79 of 111	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.0	30 of 66	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	41.3	83 of 147	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	5.3	151 of 152	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	112 of 123	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	58 of 143	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.8	30 of 96	68.8%	★★★★☆
2024	42.7	35 of 78	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.9	22 of 57	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.9	48 of 100	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	169 of 443	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.6	265 of 471	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	230 of 464	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.8	253 of 464	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.2	230 of 479	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.9	366 of 469	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.3	371 of 452	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	293 of 376	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	69.3	85 of 347	75.5%	★★★★☆
2025	54.9	133 of 347	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	76 of 344	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	49.9	140 of 336	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.5	71 of 360	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	37.6	207 of 353	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.1	245 of 344	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	195 of 259	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	80.1	5 of 22	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	67.7	3 of 11	72.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	70.5	102 of 453	77.5%	★★★★☆
2025	60.7	150 of 457	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.7	105 of 455	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	56.9	170 of 463	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.2	115 of 475	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	35.5	304 of 458	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.8	359 of 448	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	270 of 349	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	241 of 454	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.4	247 of 472	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.0	217 of 466	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.0	258 of 470	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.0	236 of 480	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.0	369 of 476	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	399 of 453	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	311 of 371	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	69.3	5 of 43	88.4%	★★★★★
2024	49.7	25 of 46	45.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	96 of 222	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.0	153 of 246	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	126 of 243	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.6	137 of 244	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	179 of 257	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.0	221 of 250	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	232 of 246	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	133 of 166	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	89.1	1 of 15	93.3%	★★★★★
2025	41.0	7 of 10	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	69.1	4 of 10	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.9	3 of 6	50.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	6 of 20	70.0%	★★★★☆
2021	73.4	2 of 19	89.5%	★★★★★
2019	39.2	16 of 31	48.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.3	5 of 11	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	113 of 226	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	87 of 167	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	90 of 199	54.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	54.2	197 of 453	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.9	190 of 488	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	187 of 486	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	199 of 488	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.0	209 of 488	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.2	392 of 480	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	368 of 470	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	272 of 325	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)93rd percentile+36 vs school

Military Connected (2025)88th percentile+41 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+20 vs school

Homeless (2025)77th percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2026)76th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2026)62nd percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)59th percentile~ school

African American (2026)58th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)57th percentile~ school

White (2026)57th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)50th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)47th percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2025)44th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts47%-6 vs state

Science44%-7 vs state

Math43%~ state avg

4.5

2 ratings

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4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Spanaway 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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
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
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
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
Morris Ford Middle School	Public	6-8	1602 104th Street East	Tacoma	98445	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 298-3605	831	46	18.0	64.6%	232 (27.9%)	81 (9.7%)	292 (35.1%)	60 (7.2%)	7 (0.8%)	46 (5.5%)	113 (13.6%)	23.9	394^th of 514 public middle schools	23.3%		21.1	434^th of 534 public middle schools	18.7%	40	35.2	35.2	33.3	39.7	40.9	37.9	19.9	20.4	27.0	22.2	$19,891	$1,465	$18,426
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
Baker Middle School	Public	6-8	8001 So J Street	Tacoma	98408	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-5000	687	34	19.9	71.5%	116 (16.9%)	87 (12.7%)	226 (32.9%)	93 (13.5%)	8 (1.2%)	39 (5.7%)	114 (16.6%)	17.6	431^st of 514 public middle schools	16.1%		19.8	441^st of 534 public middle schools	17.4%	10	30.7	30.7	34.9	37.6	31.8	34.8	21.7	18.3	14.8	18.3	$19,451	$1,425	$18,026
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
Lochburn Middle School	Public	6-8	5431 Steilacoom Blvd SW	Lakewood	98499	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 583-5420	497	33	15.0	82.7%	62 (12.5%)	86 (17.3%)	200 (40.2%)	23 (4.6%)	4 (0.8%)	57 (11.5%)	65 (13.1%)	6	503^rd of 514 public middle schools	2.1%		3.2	533^rd of 534 public middle schools	0.2%	30	11.4	11.4	20.2	27.7	14.2	20.6	10.7	18.0	7.1	11.8	$23,494	$3,018	$20,476
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Spanaway Middle School

How many students attend Spanaway Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 766 students attended Spanaway Middle School.

What district is Spanaway Middle School in?

Bethel School District

Is Spanaway Middle School a good school?

Spanaway Middle School ranks 219^th of 514 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Spanaway Middle School?

Students at Spanaway Middle School are 32% Hispanic, 27% White, 17% Two or more races, 9% African American, 9% Pacific Islander, 4% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What high school do graduates of Spanaway Middle School attend?

Students who attend Spanaway Middle School usually go on to attend Spanaway Lake High School

Rate Spanaway Middle School!

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Latest Washington data All new data »

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

2024–25 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2025

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.