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Highlands Middle School

Q: Is Highlands Middle School a good school?

Highlands Middle School ranks in the bottom 8.4% of Washington middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Highlands Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 745 students attended Highlands Middle School.

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

Students at Highlands Middle School are 60% Hispanic, 34% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Public Grades 6-8

489^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 534 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 8% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Highlands Middle School is a public school serving 745 students in grades 6-8 within the Kennewick School District, but it faces significant academic challenges, consistently ranking among the lowest-performing middle schools in Washington state.

The school's academic proficiency rates are well below both district and state averages, with only about 28% of students proficient in English and 17% in math. This performance gap is stark when compared to other middle schools in the same district, such as Desert Hills Middle School, where proficiency rates are more than double. Highlands serves a student population with high economic need, with over three-quarters qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a factor common among several lower-performing schools in the area like Park Middle School and Ellen Ochoa Middle School in the neighboring Pasco School District.

Interestingly, despite these academic results, Highlands Middle School has a lower student-to-teacher ratio and receives higher per-student funding than many higher-performing schools in the Kennewick School District. The school has shown little consistent improvement over the past decade, and its struggles are evident across all student groups and grade levels, indicating a need for targeted strategies to improve student outcomes.

745

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,772

Per pupil spending ?

76.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

425 South Tweedt Street
Kennewick, WA 99336-4399

(509) 222-6700

District: Kennewick School District

Feeder schools for Highlands Middle School:

Elementary:	Edison Elementary School
	Hawthorne Elementary School
	Westgate Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.7%

White:

33.6%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Highlands Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg42%

Washington avg48%

489^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 17% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the Kennewick School District

131^st of 247Kennewick 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
2025	11.4	489 of 534	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	463 of 535	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	475 of 539	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	497 of 541	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	460 of 529	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	468 of 512	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	385 of 437	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.4	407 of 435	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	21.4	361 of 443	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.8	370 of 445	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	9.6	471 of 498	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	22.7	410 of 497	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.4	438 of 492	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.6	382 of 483	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.3	367 of 476	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.7	385 of 466	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	34.5	327 of 463	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	28.2	348 of 449	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	46.8	247 of 425	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	35.4	297 of 421	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	19.1	98 of 111	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	21.8	82 of 100	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.3	112 of 135	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	418 of 471	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	403 of 464	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	419 of 464	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	457 of 479	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	422 of 469	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	419 of 452	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	347 of 376	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	17.1	304 of 347	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	272 of 344	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	294 of 336	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	325 of 360	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	304 of 353	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	313 of 344	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	237 of 259	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	35.8	44 of 59	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	420 of 457	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	382 of 455	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	400 of 463	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	422 of 475	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.3	373 of 458	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	299 of 349	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	445 of 472	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	404 of 466	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	409 of 470	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	423 of 480	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	388 of 476	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	407 of 453	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	324 of 371	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	28 of 28	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	26 of 29	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	34 of 36	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	36 of 36	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	36 of 38	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	34 of 39	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	36 of 43	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	40.8	101 of 166	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	30.5	194 of 268	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	14.0	439 of 488	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	405 of 486	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	408 of 488	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	399 of 488	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.7	332 of 480	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.7	400 of 470	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	298 of 325	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2018)39th percentile+27 vs school

Special Education (2018)28th percentile+16 vs school

Homeless (2019)25th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)18th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)12th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2019)12th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)11th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)10th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile~ school

Male (2025)6th percentile-3 vs school

Migrant (2025)<1st percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts28%-25 vs state

Science22%-27 vs state

Math17%-25 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Tuesday, October 5, 2010

There's a lot of bullying and fighting on school grounds. The teachers and staff do the best they can, but are under staffed to deal with issues where I feel my daughter will be safe. I am debating transferring her to another school. Kids should feel safe going to school since it's the law they have to attend. The staff is wonderful! They just have their hands full! Close Quote

Schools Near Highlands Middle School

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
Highlands Middle School	Public	6-8	425 South Tweedt Street	Kennewick	99336	Benton County	Kennewick School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 222-6700	745	42	17.5	76.5%	250 (33.6%)	9 (1.2%)	445 (59.7%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	29 (3.9%)	11.4	489^th of 534 public middle schools	8.4%		16.9	463^rd of 535 public middle schools	13.5%	26	22.3	22.3	22.2	27.6	34.1	27.7	15.6	16.5	20.4	17.4	$17,772	$1,835	$15,937
Chinook Middle School	Public	6-8	6011 W 10th Place	Kennewick	99338	Benton County	Kennewick School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 222-7500	950	43	22.1	41.3%	503 (52.9%)	21 (2.2%)	344 (36.2%)	20 (2.1%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	56 (5.9%)	49.1	253^rd of 534 public middle schools	52.6%		45.1	277^th of 535 public middle schools	48.2%	24	35.6	35.6	61.7	56.9	47.2	54.9	39.4	36.7	31.7	35.8	$15,362	$1,649	$13,713
Park Middle School	Public	6-8	1011 West 10th Avenue	Kennewick	99336	Benton County	Kennewick School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 222-6900	688	40	17.4	85.2%	126 (18.3%)	12 (1.7%)	489 (71.1%)	23 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.2%)	28 (4.1%)	19.5	442^nd of 534 public middle schools	17.2%		20.3	443^rd of 535 public middle schools	17.2%	1	16.6	16.6	31.9	44.8	34.3	37.4	23.7	29.4	17.9	24.0	$15,799	$1,584	$14,214
Horse Heaven Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	3500 South Vancouver Street	Kennewick	99337	Benton County	Kennewick School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 585-3260	856	41	20.7	55.0%	419 (48.9%)	31 (3.6%)	356 (41.6%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (5.0%)	26.5	401^st of 534 public middle schools	24.9%		35.3	335^th of 535 public middle schools	37.4%	66	29.8	29.8	38.3	45.7	44.9	43.0	21.7	28.3	22.4	24.2	$15,042	$1,414	$13,628
Stevens Middle School	Public	6-8	1120 N 22nd Avenue	Pasco	99301	Franklin County	Pasco School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 543-6798	956	51	18.7	91.7%	34 (3.6%)	2 (0.2%)	902 (94.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.2%)	4 (0.4%)	7.6	514^th of 534 public middle schools	3.7%		6.8	525^th of 535 public middle schools	1.9%	11	19.3	19.3	13.0	25.0	31.2	23.4	11.6	9.9	16.5	12.8	$16,039	$778	$15,261
Mcloughlin Middle School	Public	6-8	2803 N Road 88	Pasco	99301	Franklin County	Pasco School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 547-4542	1,171	54	21.6	58.9%	387 (33.0%)	15 (1.3%)	701 (59.9%)	20 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	7 (0.6%)	38 (3.2%)	27.6	395^th of 534 public middle schools	26.0%		24.3	409^th of 535 public middle schools	23.6%	14	27.5	27.4	40.0	45.1	46.1	43.6	27.1	25.1	24.4	25.6	$16,345	$696	$15,649
Desert Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	1701 S Clodfelter Rd	Kennewick	99338	Benton County	Kennewick School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 222-6600	906	40	22.4	24.6%	673 (74.3%)	11 (1.2%)	148 (16.3%)	17 (1.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.1%)	73.5	117^th of 534 public middle schools	78.1%		68.6	146^th of 535 public middle schools	72.7%	29	51.1	51.1	60.4	71.7	62.3	64.8	49.3	45.9	51.5	49.0	$14,592	$1,989	$12,602
Ellen Ochoa Middle School	Public	6-8	1801 E Sheppard St	Pasco	99301	Franklin County	Pasco School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 543-6742	831	44	18.9	91.0%	23 (2.8%)	7 (0.8%)	769 (92.5%)	24 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)	4.6	527^th of 534 public middle schools	1.3%		5.3	531^st of 535 public middle schools	0.7%	4	16.3	16.3	15.3	22.0	18.4	18.6	8.0	9.1	11.2	9.4	$16,890	$917	$15,973
Ray Reynolds Middle School	Public	6-8	9507 Burns Rd	Pasco	99301	Franklin County	Pasco School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 543-6700	1,294	64	20.3	54.9%	432 (33.4%)	13 (1.0%)	775 (59.9%)	25 (1.9%)	2 (0.2%)	7 (0.5%)	39 (3.0%)	35.6	334^th of 534 public middle schools	37.5%		35.7	331^st of 535 public middle schools	38.1%	3	33.9	33.9	40.5	46.6	42.9	43.3	30.4	38.6	32.3	33.7	$15,452	$607	$14,845
Carmichael Middle School	Public	6-8	620 Thayer Drive	Richland	99352	Benton County	Richland School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 967-6425	791	39	20.4	49.6%	489 (61.8%)	15 (1.9%)	212 (26.8%)	21 (2.7%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	47 (5.9%)	40.6	302^nd of 534 public middle schools	43.4%		37.8	316^th of 535 public middle schools	40.9%	14	40.2	40.2	47.7	45.7	40.0	44.4	38.8	37.6	31.8	36.0	$15,687	$330	$15,358

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Middle School

How many students attend Highlands Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 745 students attended Highlands Middle School.

What district is Highlands Middle School in?

Kennewick School District

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Middle School?

Students at Highlands Middle School are 60% Hispanic, 34% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Is Highlands Middle School a good school?

Highlands Middle School ranks in the bottom 8.4% of Washington middle schools.

Rate Highlands Middle School!

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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.