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Columbia Junior High School

Public Grades 8-9

Summary

Columbia Junior High School in Tacoma, Washington, serves 619 students in grades 8–9 as part of the Fife School District, about 9.33 miles from nearby Curtis Junior High. The school serves a relatively high-need community, with 56.7% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25. The district ranks 132nd out of 238 Washington districts, or around the 45th percentile statewide, and the supplied data gives the school a two-star rating.

Academic results are currently below Washington averages in all three tested subjects. In 2025–26, 38.46% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, 29.90% in math, and 37.03% in science. Compared with Curtis Junior High, the gaps were substantial: 33.13 percentage points in ELA, 23.21 points in math, and 21.51 points in science. Math has been the school’s weakest subject in each of the past four years, although it improved from 21.71% proficiency in 2023–24 to 29.90% in 2025–26. ELA is another important concern because its latest result fell 9.28 points from the previous year. Science has shown encouraging recovery after dropping to 27.08% in 2023–24.

Families may also want to consider the school’s changing circumstances. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch rose from 47.43% in 2022–23 to 56.7% in 2024–25, while the student-teacher ratio increased from 18.6 to 20.7. The latest ratio was still somewhat lower than Curtis Junior High’s 22.4, and spending was higher at Columbia—$16,097 per student compared with Curtis’s $15,088 in 2023–24. Overall, the clearest priorities are investigating the ELA decline, sustaining recent math and science gains, and ensuring that academic, counseling, tutoring, and family supports match students’ needs.

619

Students ?

20.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,097

Per pupil spending ?

56.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

2901 54th Avenue E
Tacoma, WA 98424-2110

(253) 517-1600

District: Fife School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.7%

Hispanic:

22.6%

Two or more races:

14.1%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (35% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg41%

Washington avg48%

351^st of 514

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 31 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

132^nd of 238Fife 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	30.8	351 of 514	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.7	329 of 534	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.6	399 of 535	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.5	348 of 539	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	364 of 541	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.4	412 of 512	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.7	179 of 437	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.4	138 of 435	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.7	167 of 443	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.8	204 of 445	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	41.7	307 of 498	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	28.1	383 of 497	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	52.8	227 of 492	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.0	258 of 483	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	34.9	334 of 476	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.1	172 of 466	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	50.1	232 of 463	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	32.9	330 of 449	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	28 of 100	72.0%	★★★★☆
2025	50.4	47 of 101	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.2	52 of 90	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	54 of 104	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	27 of 111	75.7%	★★★★☆
2018	88.4	4 of 66	93.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	56.9	52 of 114	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	29.1	109 of 147	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	131 of 148	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.4	97 of 145	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	99 of 161	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.7	127 of 152	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.7	81 of 123	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	20.4	123 of 143	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	35.8	283 of 443	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.7	291 of 471	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.8	360 of 464	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.1	291 of 464	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.2	364 of 479	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	340 of 452	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	58.6	151 of 376	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	27.3	264 of 347	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.7	191 of 347	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	227 of 344	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.9	272 of 336	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.8	213 of 360	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.2	332 of 344	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	61.6	84 of 259	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	362 of 453	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.5	341 of 457	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	364 of 455	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	396 of 463	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.6	319 of 475	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.7	388 of 448	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.4	146 of 349	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	26.3	340 of 454	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.4	309 of 472	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.5	351 of 466	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	333 of 470	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.1	261 of 480	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.5	408 of 453	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.8	181 of 371	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	196 of 222	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.1	157 of 246	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	11.8	231 of 243	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	47.2	121 of 244	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.2	190 of 257	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.6	185 of 246	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.2	112 of 166	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	29.1	126 of 186	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.2	176 of 268	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	307 of 453	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.0	338 of 488	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	337 of 486	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.7	310 of 488	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.1	351 of 488	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	399 of 470	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.8	139 of 325	57.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2026)72nd percentile+40 vs school

Asian (2026)54th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)32nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)32nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)25th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)24th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile-12 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)14th percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)12th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts38%-14 vs state

Science37%-14 vs state

Math30%-13 vs state

★

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Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Junior High School

What district is Columbia Junior High School in?

Fife School District

How many students attend Columbia Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 619 students attended Columbia Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Junior High School?

Students at Columbia Junior High School are 37% White, 23% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 10% African American, 8% Asian, 7% Pacific Islander, 1% Not Specified.

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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.