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Chinook Middle School

Q: Is Chinook Middle School a good school?

Chinook Middle School ranks 278 th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

278^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 534 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 48% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Chinook Middle School is a public school serving 746 students in grades 6-8 in Lacey, WA, as part of the North Thurston Public Schools district, and it shows average academic performance with a notable need for improvement in mathematics.

The school's academic results are mixed, with English Language Arts proficiency slightly above average but math scores significantly below both the district and state levels; a particular concern is that math performance declines from 6th to 8th grade. With over half of its students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school serves a community with higher economic need than many nearby schools, such as Washington Middle School or Aspire Middle School. Despite having the highest per-student spending among local schools at $17,789, these substantial resources have not yet translated into above-average academic outcomes overall.

Interesting comparisons within the district highlight potential areas for focus. For example, Aspire Middle School, just a few miles away, achieves much higher proficiency rates with lower spending, suggesting factors like teaching methods or curriculum are crucial. Chinook also shows inconsistent support for different student groups, performing well with military-connected students but needing significant improvement in services for special education students. The school's proximity to higher-performing schools like Washington Middle School (in the Olympia School District) underscores that targeted improvements in instruction and support systems could help Chinook better leverage its existing resources.

746

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,789

Per pupil spending ?

55.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4301 6th Ave NE
Lacey, WA 98516-6398

(360) 412-4760

District: North Thurston Public Schools

Students who attend Chinook Middle School usually attend:

High:

North Thurston High School

Feeder schools for Chinook Middle School:

Elementary:	Mountain View Elementary
	Pleasant Glade Elementary
	South Bay Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.5%

Hispanic:

29.0%

Two or more races:

13.3%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Chinook Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 51st percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (42% vs 48% meeting standards)

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

!Math scores 13 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg46%

Washington avg48%

278^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Middle Schools in the North Thurston Public Schools

108^th of 247North Thurston Public Schools 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	44.6	278 of 534	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	309 of 535	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.4	275 of 539	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.2	254 of 541	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.3	274 of 529	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.4	276 of 512	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	230 of 437	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.8	210 of 435	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.7	198 of 443	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.8	220 of 445	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.2	223 of 498	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	47.4	269 of 497	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	58.8	186 of 492	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.4	237 of 483	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.2	142 of 476	70.2%	★★★★☆
2008	63.6	149 of 466	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.1	130 of 463	71.9%	★★★★☆
2006	64.5	142 of 449	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.7	176 of 425	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.2	189 of 421	55.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	42 of 101	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.0	26 of 96	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	45.0	51 of 104	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	33 of 106	68.9%	★★★★☆
2019	55.8	37 of 111	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	115 of 147	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	125 of 148	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	130 of 145	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	136 of 161	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	124 of 149	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	139 of 152	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	107 of 123	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	29.9	34 of 50	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.1	17 of 135	87.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	272 of 471	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.2	290 of 464	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	233 of 464	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.9	271 of 479	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.5	244 of 469	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.3	223 of 452	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	195 of 376	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	184 of 347	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	173 of 344	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	149 of 336	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.4	176 of 360	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.0	164 of 353	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.5	136 of 344	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.2	111 of 259	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	53.1	11 of 22	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.3	1 of 11	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	63.5	12 of 59	79.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	251 of 457	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	298 of 455	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.7	263 of 463	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.0	228 of 475	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.3	220 of 458	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.4	219 of 448	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	174 of 349	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	239 of 472	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	257 of 466	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.3	266 of 470	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.8	210 of 480	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.1	232 of 476	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.3	264 of 453	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	207 of 371	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	64.8	13 of 43	69.8%	★★★★☆
2024	46.1	28 of 46	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.7	16 of 40	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	24 of 51	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	15 of 44	65.9%	★★★★☆
2019	52.0	28 of 50	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	49.7	114 of 246	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.1	124 of 243	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	133 of 244	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	134 of 257	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.5	126 of 250	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.2	166 of 246	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.7	113 of 166	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	68.1	3 of 19	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	60.8	8 of 31	74.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	166 of 186	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	129 of 179	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	151 of 167	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	196 of 231	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	54.9	200 of 488	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	273 of 486	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	244 of 488	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	203 of 488	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.2	219 of 480	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.8	243 of 470	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.9	202 of 325	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2021)84th percentile+36 vs school

Military Connected (2025)70th percentile+22 vs school

White (2025)59th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)58th percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)54th percentile+6 vs school

Homeless (2025)50th percentile~ school

Male (2025)49th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)47th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)45th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)42nd percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)32nd percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2025)22nd percentile-26 vs school

Special Education (2025)11th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts53%~ state avg

Science44%-5 vs state

Math30%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Chinook 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
Chinook Middle School	Public	6-8	4301 6th Ave NE	Lacey	98516	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4760	746	38	19.6	55.5%	287 (38.5%)	42 (5.6%)	216 (29.0%)	64 (8.6%)	5 (0.7%)	31 (4.2%)	99 (13.3%)	44.6	278^th of 534 public middle schools	47.9%		40.2	309^th of 535 public middle schools	42.2%	31	44.0	44.0	52.5	53.4	54.1	53.4	30.9	33.5	24.5	29.6	$17,789	$517	$17,273
Komachin Middle School	Public	6-8	3650 College St SE	Lacey	98503	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4740	640	34	18.8	48.8%	259 (40.5%)	44 (6.9%)	145 (22.7%)	40 (6.3%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (3.9%)	124 (19.4%)	49.1	252^nd of 534 public middle schools	52.8%		49.8	248^th of 535 public middle schools	53.6%	4	42.4	42.4	45.9	63.6	48.3	52.6	36.6	36.0	36.9	36.5	$16,840	$719	$16,121
Nisqually Middle School	Public	6-8	8100 Steilacoom Rd SE	Lacey	98503	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4770	789	44	18.0	51.3%	318 (40.3%)	35 (4.4%)	222 (28.1%)	51 (6.5%)	16 (2.0%)	29 (3.7%)	115 (14.6%)	29	381^st of 534 public middle schools	28.7%		21.8	435^th of 535 public middle schools	18.7%	54	32.6	32.6	36.6	46.9	42.9	42.0	24.6	33.6	24.3	27.3	$16,625	$719	$15,905
Washington Middle School	Public	6-8	3100 Cain Rd SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-3000	702	36	19.3	21.7%	441 (62.8%)	24 (3.4%)	94 (13.4%)	52 (7.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (11.8%)	87.9	59^th of 534 public middle schools	89.0%		84.4	77^th of 535 public middle schools	85.6%	18	63.7	63.7	69.1	72.7	70.0	70.7	66.0	62.5	54.6	60.7	$14,672	$606	$14,066
Reeves Middle School	Public	6-8	2200 Quince St NE	Olympia	98506	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-3400	394	22	18.1	35.8%	250 (63.5%)	8 (2.0%)	64 (16.2%)	17 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	42 (10.7%)	68.2	147^th of 534 public middle schools	72.5%		71	128^th of 535 public middle schools	76.1%	19	58.8	58.8	54.3	59.4	65.6	59.8	46.2	36.6	53.0	45.7	$17,630	$1,126	$16,504
Aspire Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	5900 54th Ave SE	Lacey	98513	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(360) 412-4400	323	14	22.7	35.3%	166 (51.4%)	19 (5.9%)	54 (16.7%)	20 (6.2%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.5%)	55 (17.0%)	89	55^th of 534 public middle schools	89.7%		85.3	71^st of 535 public middle schools	86.7%	16	69.4	69.4	81.4	63.8	71.3	72.1	54.9	66.7	69.4	63.8	$15,572	$521	$15,051
Salish Middle School	Public	6-8	8605 Campus Glen Dr NE	Lacey	98516	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4780	745	40	18.8	48.3%	302 (40.5%)	35 (4.7%)	187 (25.1%)	62 (8.3%)	7 (0.9%)	25 (3.4%)	126 (16.9%)	39	312^th of 534 public middle schools	41.6%		32.3	357^th of 535 public middle schools	33.3%	45	39.6	39.6	46.2	46.6	48.2	47.0	38.4	32.5	24.7	32.1	$16,105	$704	$15,401
Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	2200 Conger Ave NW	Olympia	98502	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 596-3200	462	25	18.2	42.9%	228 (49.4%)	22 (4.8%)	64 (13.9%)	60 (13.0%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.4%)	63 (13.6%)	84.6	72^nd of 534 public middle schools	86.5%		85.9	68^th of 535 public middle schools	87.3%	4	61.0	61.0	62.8	75.2	70.4	69.4	53.8	64.4	53.7	57.4	$16,806	$693	$16,113
Thurgood Marshall Middle School	Public	6-8	3939 20th Ave NW	Olympia	98502	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 596-7600	469	28	16.7	39.9%	253 (53.9%)	24 (5.1%)	73 (15.6%)	37 (7.9%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	55 (11.7%)	58.7	200^th of 534 public middle schools	62.5%		62.7	179^th of 535 public middle schools	66.5%	21	52.4	52.4	44.2	57.6	52.9	51.9	38.1	50.9	44.0	44.7	$16,754	$830	$15,924
Tumwater Middle School	Public	6-8	6335 Littlerock Road SW	Tumwater	98512	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 709-7500	665	34	19.5	35.6%	409 (61.5%)	19 (2.9%)	118 (17.7%)	26 (3.9%)	7 (1.1%)	8 (1.2%)	77 (11.6%)	70.2	137^th of 534 public middle schools	74.3%		68.1	148^th of 535 public middle schools	72.3%	11	56.0	56.0	65.1	57.7	61.4	61.3	48.4	46.1	44.3	46.2	$16,737	$470	$16,267

Frequently Asked Questions about Chinook Middle School

What high school do graduates of Chinook Middle School attend?

Students who attend Chinook Middle School usually go on to attend North Thurston High School

What is the racial makeup of Chinook Middle School?

Students at Chinook Middle School are 38% White, 29% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 9% Asian, 6% African American, 4% Pacific Islander.

Is Chinook Middle School a good school?

Chinook Middle School ranks 278^th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Chinook Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 746 students attended Chinook Middle School.

What district is Chinook Middle School in?

North Thurston Public Schools

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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.