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Pacific Middle School

Q: Is Pacific Middle School a good school?

Pacific Middle School ranks in the bottom 8.9% of Washington middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Pacific Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 604 students attended Pacific Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Pacific Middle School?

Students at Pacific Middle School are 37% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 17% African American, 14% White, 10% Two or more races, 4% Pacific Islander.

Q: What high school do graduates of Pacific Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pacific Middle School usually go on to attend Mount Rainier High School

Public Grades 6-8

468^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 514 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 9% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Pacific Middle School is a public school in Des Moines, Washington, serving 604 students in grades 6–8 as part of the Highline School District. It serves a relatively high-need community, with 74.34% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school ranks 468th out of 514 Washington middle schools, placing it in the 9th percentile, while its district ranks in the 17th percentile. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 18.5:1, an improvement from 21:1 in 2022–23, and per-student spending was $20,856 in 2023–24.

Academic performance is the school’s central challenge. In 2025–26, 29.34% of students were proficient in English language arts, 15.67% in math, and 20.63% in science. Those results were below both district and state averages, with science showing the largest gap. Pacific is nearly tied with Chinook Middle School in ELA and math and performs better than Glacier Middle School in all three subjects. However, Sylvester Middle School is considerably stronger, particularly in science, and Meridian Middle School provides an even stronger nearby benchmark.

One encouraging pattern is that Pacific’s results improve by grade level. ELA proficiency rises from 21.63% in sixth grade to 35.83% in eighth grade, while math increases from 10.05% to 20.43%. Eighth-grade ELA and math results exceed the district averages, suggesting that students may gain ground during middle school even though they enter with significant academic needs. Science also rebounded from 14.20% in 2024–25 to 20.63% in 2025–26. For families, the main questions are how the school supports the transition into sixth grade and how it accelerates foundational math, science, and literacy growth. Operational improvements are promising, but overall achievement remains low and the school’s statewide ranking has stayed near the bottom since 2020–21.

604

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,856

Per pupil spending ?

74.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

615 S 200th St
Des Moines, WA 98198-7195

(206) 631-5800

District: Highline School District

Students who attend Pacific Middle School usually attend:

High:

Mount Rainier High School

Feeder schools for Pacific Middle School:

Elementary:	Des Moines Elementary
	Midway Elementary
	Parkside Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

36.6%

Asian:

18.5%

African American:

16.9%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Pacific Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (22% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg30%

Washington avg48%

468^th of 514

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Middle Schools in the Highline School District

198^th of 238Highline 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	12.1	468 of 514	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.8	487 of 534	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	495 of 535	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	472 of 539	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	487 of 541	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	464 of 529	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.5	310 of 512	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.2	218 of 437	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	30.1	311 of 435	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.7	311 of 443	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.7	253 of 445	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.0	262 of 498	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.6	223 of 497	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.8	208 of 492	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.1	256 of 483	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.5	237 of 476	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	37.0	303 of 466	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.5	295 of 463	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.4	309 of 449	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.7	230 of 425	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	37.4	286 of 421	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	80 of 100	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.6	68 of 101	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.0	75 of 90	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.5	70 of 96	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	73 of 104	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.6	88 of 106	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	61.0	28 of 111	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	6 of 66	90.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	4.8	113 of 114	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.1	146 of 147	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.0	145 of 148	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	135 of 145	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	138 of 161	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	119 of 149	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.9	94 of 152	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	28.9	95 of 143	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.6	89 of 96	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	43 of 57	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	53 of 63	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.4	37 of 50	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.4	42 of 100	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	11.4	414 of 443	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.7	422 of 471	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	422 of 464	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	428 of 464	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	436 of 479	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.3	392 of 469	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.6	247 of 452	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.5	197 of 376	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	305 of 347	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	300 of 347	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	289 of 344	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	273 of 336	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	322 of 360	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.5	296 of 353	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.9	195 of 344	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	140 of 259	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	8.6	27 of 27	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	27 of 27	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	46.3	27 of 59	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	407 of 453	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.5	406 of 457	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	397 of 455	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	393 of 463	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	417 of 475	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	383 of 458	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.2	192 of 448	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.0	164 of 349	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	410 of 454	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	436 of 472	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	431 of 466	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	400 of 470	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	433 of 480	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.4	417 of 476	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	299 of 453	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	183 of 371	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	14.0	202 of 222	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.6	237 of 246	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	222 of 243	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	197 of 244	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	237 of 257	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	210 of 250	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.7	184 of 246	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	128 of 166	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	69.8	5 of 31	83.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	35.9	127 of 210	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.3	203 of 231	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	175 of 268	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	345 of 453	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.0	402 of 488	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	435 of 486	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	388 of 488	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	355 of 488	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.7	291 of 480	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.0	159 of 470	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.8	94 of 325	71.1%	★★★★☆

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 (2019)84th percentile+44 vs school

Special Education (2021)40th percentile+27 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)34th percentile+25 vs school

White (2026)24th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)20th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile~ school

Male (2026)10th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)9th percentile~ school

Female (2026)7th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)1st percentile-8 vs school

Homeless (2026)<1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts29%-23 vs state

Science21%-30 vs state

Math16%-27 vs state

1.5

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, January 16, 2019

My daughter went here and she felt unsafe the entire time she was there. Students would disregard schools rules with no disciplinary action following. My daughter stated that she couldn't work because students were out of control and her teachers would spend her whole class time repeating tasks for their assignment. Since we have moved her she is a totally different kid. She's happy, loves school, she is meeting more positive friends and teachers. At Pacific there are very few caring teachers. As far as administration I'd like to see them kick in their disciplinary actions towards the constant students who keep breaking the rules. Those students are not learning anything and will not be prepared for high school or adult life. Close Quote

Schools Near Pacific 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
Pacific Middle School	Public	6-8	615 S 200th St	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-5800	604	33	18.5	74.3%	82 (13.6%)	102 (16.9%)	221 (36.6%)	112 (18.5%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.3%)	58 (9.6%)	12.1	468^th of 514 public middle schools	8.9%		11.8	487^th of 534 public middle schools	8.8%	19	20.6	20.6	21.6	31.3	35.8	29.3	10.1	17.2	20.4	15.7	$20,856	$1,431	$19,425
Evergreen Middle School	Public	6-8	26630 40th Ave S	Kent	98031	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-5100	810	42	19.2	79.5%	95 (11.7%)	140 (17.3%)	291 (35.9%)	145 (17.9%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.1%)	96 (11.9%)	8.2	490^th of 514 public middle schools	4.7%		7.8	512^th of 534 public middle schools	4.1%	22	17.1	17.1	18.8	31.8	22.0	24.4	12.2	18.0	13.5	14.6	$17,943	$1,449	$16,493
Chinook Middle School	Public	6-8	18650 42nd Ave S	SeaTac	98188	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-5700	620	36	17.3	72.9%	70 (11.3%)	120 (19.4%)	248 (40.0%)	97 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.6%)	38 (6.1%)	13.5	463^rd of 514 public middle schools	9.9%		15.6	464^th of 534 public middle schools	13.1%	1	33.3	33.3	27.0	28.3	32.5	29.4	13.2	12.7	20.6	15.7	$21,795	$1,517	$20,278
Mill Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	620 Central Ave N	Kent	98032	King County	Kent School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 373-7446	866	46	18.9	73.0%	85 (9.8%)	144 (16.6%)	369 (42.6%)	154 (17.8%)	3 (0.3%)	77 (8.9%)	33 (3.8%)	5.2	506^th of 514 public middle schools	1.6%		3.9	532^nd of 534 public middle schools	0.4%	26	18.0	18.0	19.4	20.0	17.8	19.1	11.7	11.2	9.9	11.0	$18,728	$1,086	$17,642
Sylvester Middle School	Public	6-8	16222 Sylvester Road SW	Burien	98166	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-6000	582	30	19.3	49.5%	217 (37.3%)	49 (8.4%)	189 (32.5%)	48 (8.2%)	9 (1.5%)	11 (1.9%)	57 (9.8%)	42.3	282^nd of 514 public middle schools	45.1%		38	319^th of 534 public middle schools	40.3%	37	49.1	49.1	42.5	41.1	45.2	42.7	31.9	33.8	36.0	33.8	$21,126	$1,327	$19,799
Sacajawea Middle School	Public	6-8	1101 S Dash Point Rd	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-4900	668	36	18.3	77.7%	97 (14.5%)	103 (15.4%)	253 (37.9%)	96 (14.4%)	2 (0.3%)	39 (5.8%)	77 (11.5%)	18.1	426^th of 514 public middle schools	17.1%		20	439^th of 534 public middle schools	17.8%	13	31.0	31.0	30.9	30.7	38.3	33.2	16.1	23.6	21.4	20.5	$19,089	$969	$18,120
Kilo Middle School	Public	6-8	4400 S 308th St	Auburn	98001	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-4700	669	37	18.0	73.7%	143 (21.4%)	85 (12.7%)	238 (35.6%)	114 (17.0%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (4.0%)	60 (9.0%)	36.3	317^th of 514 public middle schools	38.3%		29.4	378^th of 534 public middle schools	29.2%	61	44.1	44.1	33.8	46.3	48.6	42.9	26.1	29.7	31.6	29.1	$18,574	$552	$18,022
Showalter Middle School	Public	6-8	4628 S 144th St	Seattle	98168	King County	Tukwila School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 901-7800	651	32	20.4	75.4%	50 (7.7%)	121 (18.6%)	243 (37.3%)	164 (25.2%)	5 (0.8%)	31 (4.8%)	36 (5.5%)	10.3	479^th of 514 public middle schools	6.8%		12.4	482^nd of 534 public middle schools	9.7%	3	27.8	27.8	24.3	23.4	27.7	25.0	14.8	14.6	17.5	15.6	$22,084	$2,819	$19,265
Glacier Middle School	Public	6-8	2450 South 142nd Street	SeaTac	98168	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-5300	803	35	22.7	75.5%	50 (6.2%)	61 (7.6%)	477 (59.4%)	126 (15.7%)	8 (1.0%)	27 (3.4%)	49 (6.1%)	4.1	509^th of 514 public middle schools	1.0%		4.4	528^th of 534 public middle schools	1.1%	19	16.1	16.1	11.3	21.7	15.0	16.0	7.7	11.3	9.5	9.5	$20,164	$1,544	$18,620
Canyon Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	11000 SE 264th St	Kent	98030	King County	Kent School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(253) 373-7542	821	40	20.3	73.0%	207 (25.2%)	112 (13.6%)	190 (23.1%)	185 (22.5%)	4 (0.5%)	38 (4.6%)	84 (10.2%)	10.8	473^rd of 514 public middle schools	8.0%		12.8	479^th of 534 public middle schools	10.3%	6	23.1	23.1	22.0	31.3	20.5	24.7	13.7	20.8	20.4	18.1	$20,347	$1,072	$19,275

Frequently Asked Questions about Pacific Middle School

What district is Pacific Middle School in?

Highline School District

What high school do graduates of Pacific Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pacific Middle School usually go on to attend Mount Rainier High School

What is the racial makeup of Pacific Middle School?

Students at Pacific Middle School are 37% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 17% African American, 14% White, 10% Two or more races, 4% Pacific Islander.

Is Pacific Middle School a good school?

Pacific Middle School ranks in the bottom 8.9% of Washington middle schools.

How many students attend Pacific Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 604 students attended Pacific Middle School.

Rate Pacific Middle School!

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2025–26 SBAC & WCAS test scoresNewSep 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.